


Wonderful and Hot Times

by Gia467



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Family Drama, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Insecurities, Look At Your Life Look At Your Choices, M/M, Slow Burn, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-05-28 00:49:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15037037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gia467/pseuds/Gia467
Summary: Adolescence is a time for exploration and learning. Daniel is inexperienced and longing for something different, and soon finds infatuation in an unlikely person.





	1. Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello.

Welcome to my first story. Here is a brief few things to note before reading this story.

**Note: The story starts off a bit slow, but will have much of the romantic Johnny/Daniel interaction starting at Chapter 4 onward.**

**Note2: Woah boy major changes ahead! So I've written Johnny's canon home life a little bit and realized that I really, really like writing it as-is. So from here on out, several changes will be made to the story, and will now be (mostly) canon-compliant. Hooray!  
**

1\. Despite this being a mainly Johnny/Daniel story, there is some Daniel/Ali in this. I didn't like how they wrote her out in KK2, because her actions seemed very inconsistent with what she was portrayed as in the first KK. So, my version of Ali will try to emulate how she was in the film, with a few changes made on behalf of creativity.

2\. My storyline is made from both the original script and the final movie. In my universe (AU), my storyline takes place after the beginning of KK2, with an alternate timeline starting from one month after the confrontation scene with Kreese and Miyagi, mid January. Speaking of this, in my version Daniel is a junior in high school when he moves to California (he turns 16), thus making Johnny and Ali (to the best of my knowledge) seniors. I was so lost in KK2 when they said he was graduating high school 6 months later, because I figured one would have to be at least 17 to be a senior, as it is in my country, I don't know if Americans do it different? Unless he skipped a grade or something, it didn't make any sense to me so in my AU he is a junior at the time of the tournament and will be a senior one year after that. Johnny and Ali will graduate when Daniel enters his senior year.

3\. My AU storyline also includes the following aspects from KK original script, such as:

\- Daniel telling Freddy he was experienced in Karate and thus why Freddy seemed so 'disappointed' at the beach fight when Daniel lost. I took this partly as Freddy being upset that Daniel may have tried to deceive him.

\- Bobby taking off his black belt throwing it down at Kreese's feet during the tournament after he breaks Daniels leg, in an act of defiance.

\- Daniel saving Ali from assault (!)

\- Basically the entire set of events from the rehearsal tape (which can be found on youtube if anyone is curious)

4\. My story takes place for over roughly 3 years time, so some months, week, or days will be skipped over, for obvious reasons.

5\. My usage of date/time stamps is both a stylistic and a functional choice, as I think that time of day helps to set a certain atmosphere, and can save a lot on descriptions. It's not meant to be diary entries, as these tags are independent from the narrative itself.

6\. Throughout much of the story, it will be in Daniel's perspective, only seldom focusing on Johnny. It is also sometimes communicated in third person. There isn't tags for this, since I think it should be simple enough to figure out who is talking.

7\. I like to put little 'easter egg' type things into stories, and references. So if you get them, tell me! I like to see who likes the same things I do. Even if it''s weird to ask you guys that lol.

8\. I have certain tracks that are meant to be listened to for certain scenes to set the mood or make it resonate better. I would appreciate if you took a listen to these track as you read along, to help set the mood and make for an more immersive experience. Music adds greatly to a story.

 


	2. Chapitre Un

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's mother has a special guest for dinner. Daniel isn't pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack: Pulp - Mile End, found here [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eswiifPgi0 ]

_Oo-ooh Nobody wants to be your friend_  
_'cause you're not from round here,_  
_ooh as if that was_ _something to be proud about  
_

__

  _Saturday, 5th January._

[4:56pm]

A knock on the door, I look up from my book.

"Come in."

"Hey." Ma opens the door a bit but doesn't enter right away, lingering in the doorway.

"Hey?" I'm a little confused.

"Do you have a minute?" She looks hopeful.

I nod, "Uh-huh."

"I gotta talk to you about something." She comes over and sits on the edge of the bed. I sit up, putting the book down.

" _Alright_..." I say expectantly. Is this going somewhere or are we gonna play awkward back and forth some more?

"You remember a few months ago when you came to the restaurant and met Larry? Do you remember him? Larry Moore?"(1)

I raise an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

"Well, lately we have been spending more time together…" Oh god, not this. Don't get me wrong, he seemed like a fine guy when I met him, but it's still a bit weird hearing this stuff. I realize she's asking me something but I didn't quite catch it. Whoops.

"-Would that be okay?"

I pause a second. "... Would what be okay?" I ask, clearly no attempt at even pretending I heard any of that.

"You didn't get any of that?"

"Sorry, I kinda spaced out for a second."

"I said, we've been spending more time together and it's been uh," She pauses, smiling like a teenager, "It's been getting to a point where I think he ought to meet you. Because, _you're my son,"_ -she puts her hand on my leg- _"_ and I'd like if you guys got to know each other. I'd just really like it if we could all spend some time together this weekend. He's a _really sweet guy._ He has a daughter too, I think her name is Alyssa or Alisha or _something_ , you know I'm bad with names, anyways, she's away at college in New York so it's just him at home now and I thought that it would be nice if he came over and had some dinner with us. I invited him over tonight 'cause I figured you guys ought to meet each other properly. You'll be around right? _I'd really like_ it if you were there..." She's pulling the hopeful look again.

I frown slightly. Well I don't really have a choice here, do I? I sigh, "Yeah I'll be here. When's he coming?"

"In about an hour, so I gotta get ready. You get ready too." She gets an excited tone in her voice.

I accidentally rip a page corner. "I'll iron my best suit."

"Oh you're funny. Just wear a nicer shirt or something," I roll my eyes. "Not a t-shirt." She adds.

"Uh-huh." I nod. She practically skips out of the room.

I inwardly curse, tossing my book aside I mentally prepare myself to get through this potential disaster of a dinner.

   _Down by the playing fields,_ _someone sets a car on fire_  
_I guess you have to go right down_ _before you understand just how, how low,_  
_how low a human being can go!  
_

  [6:03 pm]

Dinner goes fairly well all things considered, aside from the unavoidable awkwardness of watching two middle-aged adults sneak glances at each other across the table like teenagers.

The three of us sit at our little excuse of a kitchen table, Ma and Larry chat about his store and her possibly working there instead of Orient. I'm trying to think to a month ago, and when this had been happening right under my nose and I was apparently too busy to notice. I think bitterly, _Is this where you were was all those times, hanging out with him?_ I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Larry addresses me suddenly.

"So Dan, do you have any plans for after high school?"

"It's Daniel. And maybe, I dunno yet, still got next year left. I thought about teaching English in Okinawa maybe."

"Sorry, _Daniel_. You know that sounds really nice. I heard it's just beautiful over there, they have a wonderful landscape, lots of wonderful sights."

Ma chimes in at this. "You know Daniel is really great in English. He writes such good poetr-"

I'm quick to interject, "Ma, get off it."

"Hey, it's true! I've read a few and they're good, you should be proud of yourself. You should show Larry one of them." Her voice gets a weird tone to it.

"I'm good, really." I say flatly. I can feel myself scowling despite my best efforts.

Larry speaks to me again in a lower voice, leaning a little closer to me, "Maybe some other time if you're comfortable. I'd love to read one." 

I nod through a mouthful of chicken _, sure_. He doesn't seem like an asshole at least, which is a real improvement over the last one she brought around. I'm starting to question her taste in finding men. At this point I'd offer to help if she even told me about anything first.

"I heard you won a karate tournament last month, the All-Valley." He sounds way too excited about this. "That's great, I've seen people do that stuff, it looks complicated. Is it difficult to learn everything?" I gotta give the guy some credit, he's really trying to win some kid-points here.

"Uh, not really. I was taught a little differently than most people though."

"Mr. Miyagi right? Your mother has told me about him. He sounds like quite the guy."

I nod. "Yeah, he's taught me a lot."

"He's from Okinawa, right Daniel?" My mother questions.

"Uh-huh." I pick at the rice on my plate.

"Is that why you want to go to Japan?"

I shrug a little bit. "I uh, I guess it just sounds like a nice place and there's a lot of teaching positions available, much more than around here. It'd be nice to get out of here for a while. But it's not for sure or anything yet. I'm still deciding."

"Ah, well you're young still. You've got a lot of time anyways," he says, trying to be reassuring.

I feign indifference. "Yeah, I guess so."

Ma continues chatting with him about Mr. Miyagi and how he taught me karate, and to my intense embarrassment, my entire ordeal (to her knowledge) with Johnny and his friends. Jesus Christ Ma, can some things be left to us? I'm sure he doesn't need to know about me getting my ass kicked on multiple occasions. I'm half expecting her to bring out baby photos after dinner. I excuse myself from the table once I've finished eating, leaving them to their conversation. I'm a little more anxious since dinner and decide to go to read to see if it'll ease my nerves a bit. I'm halfway through The Stranger, and I'm eager to finally finish it in peace. I quickly retreat to my bedroom and shut the door.

After he leaves, she's practically elated. I'm glad she's happy at least but I'd hate to see her rush into this. My door creaks open again and I see her out of the corner of my eye. I glance over at her momentarily before my gaze falls to my book again.

"So-o, what do you think? He's nice right?" She says, that weird upward inflection in her voice again, still lingering in the doorway.

"Yeah he's nice." I absentmindedly toy with the corner of a page. She keeps going on. Eventually, I interrupt her.

"He thinks highly of you, especially about the kar-"

"Ma I'm, kinda in the middle of this here." I get a pang of guilt at her expression. _That was harsh. Quick, say something else_. "I mean, can we talk later? I just really wanna finish this." I gesture to my book.

She nods, a little disheartened. "Yeah, alright. I'll be home kinda late tomorrow though."

"That's alright."

"There are dinner leftovers in the fridge if you want them, okay? I'll probably be back around 10. I shouldn't be any later."

I nod again. With her hand on the doorknob still, she says goodnight, but I can tell she's trying to figure out why I'm not particularly keen on talking about tonight's events right now. She's always like that though; if you don't want to talk, she wants to know why.

"Well, goodnight, see you in the morning."

"Night Ma."

She slips out the door, closing it gently. I sit and think for a minute or two. For once I'm kind of happy that I'll have the apartment to myself. I prop up some pillows and resign myself to finishing the last few chapters.

* * *

_Friday, 8th February_

[4:58 pm]

The whole dating situation goes on for about a month before Ma decides that she and Larry were serious enough that spending an entire weekend there, and dragging me along, was a wonderful idea. I'm in the middle of some very important alone time when she knocks on my door again, and I quickly throw sheets over myself before she comes in. She wastes zero time in getting to the point, urging me to come with her for some opportune bonding time with Larry.

"Listen, I know it's last minute, but it'll be great you'll see. He lives in a nice neighborhood, there's a park across the road and a little plaza around the corner..." she rattles on for a while about all the nice things there. I'm only half-listening really.

"I'm trying to remember what the area is called, shoot. It's West-something."

_West Egg._

"West Hills?" I offer.

"Yes!" It's really nice there, much nicer than here. His house is big enough for the three of us, easily."

I don't know if I like where this is going. She senses my skepticism in an instant.

"C'mon Daniel, you'll like it I promise. That little amusement place is close too, you know, the uh, one where you took Ali. You'll have tons to do if you don't wanna just stay there with us. We're all going to dinner on Saturday night though and he'd be really happy if you joined us. He really likes you, you know."

I could always just call Ali up I suppose. If I was being honest I wasn't quite sure where we stood. After we had more time to actually date like normal people the passion has been slowly waning. It's not that I don't like her anymore or anything, but we fight a little more than we used to. I don't think I'm being paranoid or nothing. The fact that her parents glare at me every time I drop her off at her house certainly doesn't help matters either.

I sigh heavily. "Yeah alright." I look at her directly, "One weekend. I'm not moving in."

She's practically beaming. "Good. I promise you won't regret this. It'll be fun, you'll see. You'll wish we lived there!" She pats me on the shoulder before walking out. I hear her voice in the hall behind my semi-closed door, "We're leaving in half an hour, so get ready now, okay?"

I groan. Very reluctantly I crawl out of bed and tug on some jeans and a t-shirt. I step to my closet and start the search for outfits to pack; I throw various shirts, shorts, and jeans into the suitcase hoping that I can make a few outfits with them. It's just a weekend at least. If I hate it I can use my homework as a decent excuse to ignore everything else.

 

_Ooh, it's a mess alright, yes it's Mile End._


	3. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel worried over Valentines plans for Ali.

__

_Monday, 11th February_

[8:32am]

I get to school a little earlier than usual, and as I'm locking up my bike I see blonde hair out of my peripheral. I feel a little tap on my shoulder and it's of course, Ali. She slides her hand down my arm and takes my hand. She's all lightness and smiles this morning.

"So, how did the weekend go?" She asks, "Was it as bad as you thought it would be? You sounded pretty upset on the phone." She laughs a little.

I shrug. "Eh, wasn't too bad. Kinda boring. I called you on Sunday to invite you for dinner at the house, but I don't think you got my message."

"When did you call?" She looks puzzled.

"Uh, around 3-ish think. Your mom said she'd let you know I called, but something tells me she didn't actually give it to you."

She looks a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess so. I was home all weekend though, really. I just kinda hung around the house. Don't know why she didn't say something." She sounds a little more than slightly annoyed.

"I think it's pretty clear what she thinks of me at this point." I laugh a little, trying to ease the tension a bit, "So I don't think she forgot." If I'm being honest, I absolutely hate her mom. She doesn't seem like a great person to begin with, class difference aside. Glaring at me while I drop Ali off like I'm not even worthy of spending time with her has made me slightly more than resentful, although I'd never tell Ali that. How do you tell someone you hate their parents. Newsflash, you _don't._

"I know." She says, sounding a little tired. She sighs a little bit, "Well, I still like you just fine, so she's gonna have to just deal with it." She gives me a kind of cutesy peck on the lips and leans against me with her blonde curls against my jaw. I can smell the perfume she always wears and I close my eyes, all the more comforted by her hug. 

The bell rings for homeroom and we disengage and head towards the school, arm in arm. I spot Johnny and Company towards the entrance and I get a bit of a nervous feeling. Since the tournament, everyone but that overly-aggressive shithead who's name I can't remember at this point, have been pretty much civil towards me, although I still can't help but feel like I'm gonna be stuffed into a locker if I'm even in proximity of Ali. Come to think of it, I haven't really seen him around Johnny lately. We close the gap between his group and ours and Ali's soft voice is in my ear.

_"Don't worry..."_

I fight the urge to roll my eyes because even after all this time that's easier said than done. I desperately try to swallow the building anxiety that's become somewhat of a reflex as we walk briskly past them. I look up and my eyes meet Johnny's face for a moment; there's nothing particularly malevolent about his expression but nothing that sends a comforting feeling either. I look away quickly and turn my attention back to her.

Ali stops as we reach the classroom, whirling around to face me, her hands on my upper arms. "I'll see you at lunch then? We can hang out for a bit."

"Yeah, alright. I'll meet you at your locker then?"

"Can't wait."

I think she notices the slight despondence in my eyes because she leans in real close, leaning on me a bit again. "Don't worry about my stupid parents, all that matters is that _I like_ you. I'll see you soon, okay?" She gives me another deep kiss, soft and sweet, and it makes me smile in spite of my mood. She pulls away slowly and I admire her green eyes for a moment. "By the end of tonight, I bet you'll feel much better." There's a sincere promise in that statement, something heavy in her voice.

_Man, is she pretty._

Before I can say anything back she swiftly turns and walks down the hall towards her class. I linger a while longer, just to watch her leave.

* * *

[7:52pm]

Inside Miyagi''s workshop, a nervous Daniel paces the floor, making mental calculations, rambling on about the next day's planned festivities. "I need some ideas, I have no clue what I'm doing. I mean I really, really, can't mess this up." He glances to him, and hopes he's even caught a little bit of his rambling. He has the look of still-single girl on prom night, tugging at his sleeve with one hand, biting slightly on the inside of his mouth. He's a nervous wreck and his thoughts can't rest for second.

"I have flowers, Ma gave me some money for dinner-" He lets out an exasperated sigh, "You know I actually had to bug her friends for her favorite flowers? They wouldn't tell me... "

The teenager is abruptly cut off.

"Danielsan, why this worry?"

His head whips up. "Huh?"

"Why worry so much?"

Brows furrowing slightly, he struggles for words for a few seconds before responding, "I uh, I just want everything to be perfect."

Miyagi pats his shoulder, feeling Daniel tensed with anxiety. "No need worry, everything be fine. Trust." Daniel sighs quietly, his curiosity peaks.

"Is there stuff like this in Okinawa? Like, valentines day or something like it?"

"Hai, one just like valentines, but girl give boy gift. White day, come month after, boy give girl gift back."

Daniel is somewhat disbelieving, a small grin on his face. "Wait a minute, the girls are the ones that buy the guys stuff?"

"Hai." Miyagi is turned away slightly, examining over a somewhat misshapen bonsai, a particularly stubborn one. Daniel pipes up again.

"Why?"

He shrugs animatedly, "Don't know, tradition," He turns away again and his concentration is now on the tree as he attempts to manipulate the trunk. "You wish like that here?"

Daniel's smile breaks into a soft laugh. "Eh, sometimes, I mean it would be nice being on the other end of all this for a change." He brings his hand to his mouth, brushing his fingers over his lips in thought, "I just hope it all works out okay. I mean, what if she thinks the card is too mushy, or her friends gave me the wrong flowers-"

"Danielsan," He's in front of him now and Daniel stop chewing his shirt sleeve long enough to be still again. "Just remember breathe." **  
**

Daniel's eyes are trained on Miyagi as he folds his hands out in front of him and closes his eyes, he imitates the gesture in in attempt to quell the anxiety that's steadily been increasing all afternoon.

"Very good."

* * *

_Thursday, February 14th._

[10:58am]

It's the most romantic day of the year, and this time around I actually have someone to celebrate it with. I was half worried I'd spend the night watching movies again. I don't end up seeing Ali around until second period, but I made sure to stuff her locker with a bouquet of white roses, with a little card for good measure, before she even sees me. I'm taken by surprise as I hear her run up and try and try and jump on me from behind. I quickly try and grab her to hold her to me before she can fall, her arms go around my neck and the bouquet is practically in my mouth.

Her head is right next to my ear, "Daniel this is amazing! The flowers are beautiful!" She _so_ happy. "How did you know I liked white roses?"

I chuckle, "Hey what can I say, I had a feeling." She slips off my back and I turn to face her. She's admiring the flowers, holding the bouquet in one hand and examining a few roses with he other. I look to her warmly, "Beautiful flowers, for a beautiful girl." Hopefully I'm not overdoing it. By the look on her face she doesn't seem to mind it one bit.

"They're really lovely Daniel. The card was very thoughtful." She takes my hands in hers, "Did you wanna go hangout for a bit? We can grab a bite to eat or something."

I grin, "Yeah, sounds good to me." It was pretty mild out today, warm even for this time of year. Ma wasn't kidding when she said goodbye winters, I haven't even seen the temperature drop below 40° and its well into February. No snow, no bitter cold. It's always sunny here, always at least a little warm.

"Just let me put these in my locker." She examines the flowers for a minute, manicured eyebrows knitting together momentarily as she observes the bouquet in her hand. "I think I'll hang them. I'll be right back, 'kay?"

I watch her as she jogs off to her locker, blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. I wait off the the side of the hall, away from the assortment of other smooching couples. I lean against the wall and people watch for a while. I wonder how many people are actually pairing off today. I remember once, Kevin wanted to go to one of those 'couples-only' parties, problem was of course, that he wasn't going with anyone. He ended up asking this girl out just for that party, only she didn't know that until afterwards. Before she found out, the girl was convinced they were gonna get married or something, and even had his mom adoring her until she had made this quip about wearing her wedding dress one day and having four kids with him. All this from a 16 year old. Never before have I seen someone run from something so fast. With my back securely against a wall and away from all the canoodling, I scan my immediate surroundings for any potential heartbreak. Call me mean, but it's kinda entertaining watching people get all jealous at each other or someone clearly not interested in a person to hard up for their affection. There's an actual word for that, but I can't quite remember what it's called; clearly I'm not the only one who who thinks like this.

I'm abruptly pulled out of my staring as she comes practically running back. "Alright, let's go," She pecks me on the lips and takes my hand in hers. "Where _do_ you wanna eat?"

I shrug. "I'm not picky, up to you."

She's pensive a moment, "Sandra and Chico's." She says.

"Sounds good."

As we head out of the school into the outside walkway, we pass by Johnny and Tommy, chit-chatting by Johnny's motorbike. My defenses automatically raise, but there doesn't seem to be any trouble for me. With my arm around Ali now, I look at him hesitantly as I walk closer. No glare, just a little look that lasts a second.

As we pass, Ali pressed into my side, I sneak one more glace over my shoulder. His attention is turned to Tommy and I quickly turn my gaze back in front of me.

* * *

Soundtrack: Expose- 'Point of No Return', found here: [ www.youtube/watch?v=fUwTtYRI5Po ]

  

[6:32pm]

My high school in Newark always hosted a Valentines dance after school hours, but I've never really been to one until now. West Valley High is no different, and Ali insists we go for a little bit, just for fun.

The gym is all decorated in white and red with little bunches of balloons and glittery steamers hanging from the ceiling. The music is so loud that I can feel the bass in my chest; a heavy pulsing sensation that feel so unnatural. With Ali on my arm, we weave through the crowds of people, trying not to get lost in between the bunches of couples pressed tightly together, or the fast-dancing groups of singles currently taking hold of the dance floor.

We find a relatively clear spot and soon enough Ali's friends come to greet us. A part of my brain does a little flip as Tommy comes into our circle; I always forget him and Barbara have been going together for while. It makes sense for him to be here, _to be here with her,_ but I always forget he's even dating her. I've seen him flirt with other girls. Is that how they do it here? For my sake, I hope not. Against my better judgement, my eyes momentarily scope the floor. _Is he here too? Is he with someone?_ I don't see him. I get slightly nervous being around Tommy like this, but thankfully he doesn't seem to be paying me much attention, with his focus clearly on the girl in his arms. Ali senses my discomfort and single-handedly shifts my full attention to her the minute she presses herself to me. She kisses me again, a deeper and longer kiss than any she's given me today, before pulling away and urging me to dance with her.

I look around again, at the moving lights and the red and white glitter covering the floor, gaze shifting up and down. The light reflects off the floor and I squeeze my eyes shut for a second or two _.  
_

We're quickly joined by a small crowd of people, everyone kinda mingling together just jumping around. I expected a Valentines dance to have slower music or something a little more romantic than what they're currently playing, but it's been fast paced since we arrived here. I don't especially mind though, the dancing is infectious with everyone mingling like this, and I find it easier to actually dance. It's like everyone else is in their own little world, so you can do whatever you'd like and nobody is going to be looking at you weird like you're doing something you shouldn't be.

I just let myself dance how I feel like, my arms up, going around my face and through my hair, bouncing and swaying slightly on the spot. I feel my mouth tug up into a smile as I watch other people dance around me. As I'm dancing someone comes up kinda close to me and mimics my movements. It's not like a romantic closeness or anything, but a closeness where you can easily move in sync with each other. I'm laughing a little, smiling along with them while we lip sync to the music. Everyone is in a little circle, moving up and down, arms up or around someone else. Ali comes and wedges her way under my arm, and I feel her hand reach up the side of my face, turning me to face her.

The lights make her blonde hair practically glow, little white steaks in the blonde curls. "I'm glad you decided to come with me, it wouldn't have been the same if you weren't here."

I flash her that little half smile I know she likes. "Of course. Where would I rather be other than here with you?" She laughs, leaning in even closer. For a minute I forget there are others around us.

"Aren't you a charmer?" She says, and bites her lip. Before I can even blink she kisses me again, deep and intimate.


	4. Somethings Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and Freddy talk about various subjects, and Daniel is roped into a potentially risky situation. Daniel tries to tell Johnny he likes his poem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack: You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles, found here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdDnqSFYXFs]

__

_Tuesday, 21st February_

[1:28pm]

Mr. Harris has never really been that good at capturing people's attention. It's not like he speaks in monotone or anything but this is American History and the subject already runs kinda dry, and without the right teacher students practically fall asleep. It's a little more than halfway through class but my notes are non-existent, I'm spacing out every ten seconds, and any attempts at productivity are quickly becoming a futile effort. I don't know what it is exactly that's got me beyond exhausted today. My eyes go to the clock above the door, 1:29. Still only halfway over, a little more than half an hour left. It's raining a little and it's darker than normally is outside, putting the mood into a hazy state. It's been pretty dry around here lately, so the rain is a welcome relief. I yawn quietly, looking across the room at a particular blonde head.

He's at his desk looking about as entertained as the rest of the class; my eyes stay on him for a little bit, watching as he starts to actually fall asleep. He's got his head down laying it on his arm and facing me as his eyes flutter closed momentarily. I'm hoping that the dim lighting somewhat conceals my staring if anyone happens to be looking. I briefly look back to Mr. Harris, who's currently explaining the Spanish Inquisition through overhead slides. I remember seeing a Monty Python sketch on The Spanish Inquisition. If I quote them on my test will I get extra marks? Does Mr. Harris even know what Monty Python is? It's hard to picture Mr. Harris watching those types of things really. I figure he's more the type to watch BBC documentaries and Lifetime movies. I figure he watches rom-coms too. In my head, Mr. Harris's favorite movie really ought to be something like _Gone with the Wind_. _  
_

The dark atmosphere is getting me even more tired, and to my embarrassment I yawn loudly. No manly yawn either, my exhale comes out as a high pitched, little squeak. I feel my face get a little hot as a few people turn to glance at me. Mr. Harris's attention is on me for a second and I try not to look guilty. Whenever you yawn teachers always play the 'Am I boring you?' card. Like, no you're not boring me, I'm tired and I can't control when I happen to yawn, I'm not being a smartass. Luckily, he doesn't seem annoyed, just amused.

"Up late last night Larusso?" He chuckles. I hear someone snicker behind me and I get a little tense; I really hate being put on the spot. I just shrug.

"I suppose the rain doesn't help much." To my immense relief, he goes back to his slides again.

I try to be inconspicuous and rest my chin on my hand. I sneak a glance over at Johnny again and my chest gets a little fluttery feeling as I meet his eyes unexpectedly. To my surprise there's no sneering glare but a small, amused smile. _No doubt laughing at my stupid girl-yawn,_ I think. I almost return it but decide against it last minute and look away after a few seconds. I rub my eyes and look at the clock.

I inwardly groan. _How has it only been five minutes? Fucking kill me.  
_

* * *

I decide to head over to Freddy's house after school ends. We've made it a bit of a habit to be at each other's place pretty often when we're not out as a group. I don't bother knocking by now, he knows I'm coming over and his mom never really locks it up to begin with. When I walk in he's in the middle of making a sandwich.

I nod at him. "Hey."

"Hey man. You hungry? I was just makin' something."

"You know me."

"Help yourself. There's more stuff in the fridge if you want."

I dig through his fridge until I find the ingredients needed for a decent Ruben sandwich. We settle on his couch and he turns on the TV, flipping through the usual shit that dominates the after-school time slots.

"You skipped History today."

He shrugs, an aloofness clear in his demeanour, "I ain't missing nothin' anyway. What'd he talk about today? Don't tell me you've suddenly started paying attention in that class."

I chuckle. "The Spanish Inquisition. I was falling asleep in the last bit though."

"Yeah," He's still flipping through channels, "That ain't hard to do with Harris lecturing like he does."

I shake my head. "You're telling me."

He settles on some action flick, something to fill the gaps, before digging into his food. "Listen, I have a proposition for you. If you'd be down for it."

"Uh, depends what that is."

"You gotta promise to be discreet about this, no gabbing about this to anyone. I mean it." He says.

I pull a face, "What do you do, rob banks?"

He laughs, "Not exactly, just a few houses in Encino and West Hills."

I nearly choke on my food, turning my whole body to look at him now. "You're so full of shit."

"You don't believe me? I invite you to come along for the ride. We're hitting up a house on Saturday. I happen to know the guy will be having a little get together, and all the good stuff is kept in his basement. We'll be good as long as the party's goin."

For a few seconds my mouth refuses to work. How is Freddy involved in this stuff anyway? How have they not been caught yet? I shake my head, "Are you being serious? How have you guys been pulling this off? Don't those places have security or something? I mean, what if you get caught? I can't - you know what, no fucking way."

"Oh come on, you were telling me a while ago that you stole some guy's car, and you crashed it like an amateur. You're not above petty crime-"

I cut him off. "It's not _petty_ crime! You steal shit from these loaded houses and you're lucky nobody's caught you yet!"

"Chill out man, take it easy." He takes another bite of his sandwich and I fiddle with the chips on my plate. "We know what we're doing, alright? We've gotten away with all of them, it's not as hard as you think. You know half the people in those gated communities don't even lock their front doors? Besides, we don't do it a lot, so we ought to be covered."

I sigh heavily. "I don't know man. Why you askin' me anyway?"

He pats my shoulder. "I thought it would be an excellent bonding experience for us, well, now that we've picked up again." I roll my eyes, smiling somewhat unintentionally.

"Spare me."

"Come on. Just come along this Saturday and see if you like it. Just uh, act fast, if an alarm goes off we'll have'ta book it outta there." He says it like he's so sure I'm not going to trip them up or get them caught. I mean, I'm not an idiot but I wasn't exactly known for my running speed or upper body strength. Am I gonna need to make a fast getaway out a high window?

I sigh, "Sure _,_ I'll think on it. I don't wanna be spending my teenage years taking dicks to the throat in juvie."

That makes him laugh, hard. "I thought you'd be used to that by now... " I punch him in the shoulder, but he barely flinches.

"I tell you a secret in confidence and now you use it against me, how nice of you. Maybe I won't come on this stupid mission and let you idiots get arrested yourselves."

He scoffs. "Hey, you come with us and you get a share of whatever we find. This ain't a fruitless endeavour for you, man." He smiles like he knows I'm already convinced. It's true, but as far as he's concerned I'm still thinking about it. "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff we find." He's back to channel surfing now.

"Wow, _endeavour_ , that's a big word for you. Where'd you learn that one?" I say, feigned interest heavy in my voice.

He doesn't even skip a beat, " _Georgina_. She mentioned it to me after English last week while I was chattin' her up." He looks _so_ smug.

My eyes go a little wide, "Our English teacher? How do you even know her first name? Please don't tell me you've actually been hitting on her." My distaste for this idea is clear on my face.

"She _told me_ to call her that. And why not? She's hot. I don't think she's currently goin' with anyone either."

 _Yes Freddy, and I bet that will go very well. A_ seventeen-year-old _hitting on a teacher._ "If a hot redhead taught World History too, would you finally go?"

He studies his nails a moment, "That class? I don't know, she'd have to be really hot."

* * *

Thursday, 23rd February.

[2:01pm]

I'm a nervous mess. I hate reading my work out loud. If she picks me I'm flat up refusing.

Gothic Literature is the theme of this semester and we were supposed to pick a poem and write an analysis on it. For whatever reason she's conjured up, this is supposed to be beneficial for us. I hate reading my damn work out loud.

She's cheery like usual and its impossible to stay mad at her. It's not like she's purposely trying to make us awkward and uncomfortable, she's just way to naive about how teenagers can be. With what I assume is no more than 10-year age gap between her and the average person in this class, I find it hard to believe she's still so optimistic about us.

When nobody raises their hand to volunteer, she looks amused. "Not all at once now." A few giggles.

She skims the room, eyes landing on the back rows. "Johnny, how about you? We haven't heard from you all semester."

His mouth gapes a second. "No, I really couldn't-"

"Oh come on, I bet it's wonderful. Come on up, be brave!" There's no winning here. No teenage boy could say no to that face, not when she's looking at people like that. Her hopeful enthusiasm breaks down his resistance, as he slowly pushes out his chair and walks up to the front of the room, eyes flickering between the paper in his hands and the backboard at the front of the room, his chest rises and falls a little unevenly. I'm trying not to stare at him too much. It's a little transfixing to see him nervous. A few girls clap in support, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I've been kinda wondering why he's in a Junior class, being a year up and all. Did he fail the first time? _What's that saying, all brawn but no brain?_

He takes a short breath and starts to read.

 _"I said fate plays a game without a score, and who needs fish if you've got caviar? The triumph of the Gothic style would come to pass and turn you on-no need for coke, or grass._  
_I sit by the window._  
_Outside, an aspen._  
_When I loved, I loved deeply._  
_It wasn't often. I said the forest's only part of a tree._  
_Who needs the whole girl if you've got her knee? Sick of the dust raised by the modern era, the Russian eye would rest on an Estonian spire._  
_I sit by the window._  
_The dishes are done... "_

Oh god, he reads it beautifully.

_"I said that the leaf may destroy the bud; what's fertile falls in fallow soil-a dud; that on the flat field, the unshadowed plain nature spills the seeds of trees in vain. I sit by the window. Hands lock my knees. My heavy shadow's my squat company,"_

He's surprisingly eloquent. I've never heard this poem before, but I like it, a lot.

_"My song was out of tune, my voice was cracked, but at least no chorus can ever sing it back... "_

I get a pang of guilt as my previous thoughts play in my head. It's really not what I expected from him. It's wonderful. It makes my rendition of "A Bird Came Down" fall completely flat.

_"A loyal subject of these second-rate years, I proudly admit that my finest ideas are second-rate, and may the future take them as trophies of my struggle against suffocation. I sit in the dark. And it would be hard to figure out which is worse; the dark inside, or the darkness out."_

After he's done, the same girls from before clap a little harder than the rest of the class and he blushes a little, but otherwise takes up the positive attention like a sponge, all the while Miss. Evans looks over the moon.

"That was a wonderful poem, Johnny _. Very_ nicely read. Thank you for sharing it." He smiles curtly but it looks genuine all the same. She stands up again, "Now, who shall follow up such a piece?"

I rest my head on my closed hand, unsuccessfully trying to swallow the bitter feelings that are currently vying for my attention.

* * *

[3:05pm]

After class, I see him in the halls and I have an impulse to go up to him. I wanted to tell him I liked the poem. I've seen him a few times in the halls since the tournament, but we've never really spoken to each other.

When I approach him, his head is down at the water fountain. I find it's a little easier approach him when he's not staring me down.

"Hey, Johnny."

He pops his head up suddenly and I think I've startled him.

"I just wanted to say that I really liked your poem." I smile genuinely, trying to seem friendly. "It was um, really well performed." _Well-performed?_ _That was a bit over the top, no?_

He's smiling now, corner of his mouth turning up in the same way I'd always seen him smile in front of people, only difference being that before this point it was never at me. I can see his tongue trace the top corner of his teeth and my insides feel like goo. I see his lips part like he's going to say something, but my confidence is crumbling under the few moments of silence and my feet ache to play out the usual script of running away from him. Before he can really respond I turn and walk away briskly, books huddled to my chest and no doubt leaving him either offended or confused or both. Nice going Daniel, just run away and accept your fate.

_Why am I like this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem Johnny reads is called "I Sit By The Window " by Joseph Brodsky.


	5. Do You Like It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel actually talks to Johnny without running away.  
> I wrote all this instead of studying. Hurrah! I am the productivity Queen. I AM ALL POWERFUL! ..... :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack: Saturday Looks Good to Me - "No Good With Secrets", found here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9PC01-X01o] 
> 
> For those who leave comments, is my writing weird? I've never written anything like this before (or really, anything much at all), so I'm curious. Also, thank you for your wonderful comments. I'm glad at least a few people seem to be enjoying this. I know it's not the most exciting right now, so I would appreciate some critique, if you please. There are lots of well written stories here, I could learn a thing or two.

 

 

Sunday, 26th February

[12:56pm]

The TV is on, it's been on for a few hours now but it's more or less just background noise at this point. We've been over here an awful lot lately to the point where I now have a bit of my stuff lying around like books, a spare toothbrush, and some clothes for when we spend nights. I'm alone for a few hours until they get back from their lunch date and I'm painfully bored. I thought about calling Ali but quickly remembered that she's been away this weekend, all the way to Princeton with her parents to see the campus there. I think she actually wants to go to Princeton on her own accord rather than having her parents just shove that option in her face; she's been pouring over her application for a few months now. I thought that was sorta funny, her all the way in New Jersey while I'm still in this sunshine state. Besides, if she went to school out of state her parents could find yet another reason for her to break it off with me. Despite the feelings I still had for her, a nagging voice was getting to me saying that maybe her parents had it right. Days like Valentines Day, where we don't struggle for conversation or fight over little stupid things, are getting to be few and far in between as the days go by. How many months had it been again?

All that time and effort, had it really amounted to much?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I make a little noise in my throat in a feeble expression of boredom. Laying on the couch and counting the ceiling tiles is not what I wanted to be doing with my Sunday, and the otherwise spacious house feels ridiculously empty with nobody in it but me. My loneliness becomes a little more apparent with another passing hour of poking around a house that isn't mine, and I decide to get off my ass and actually do something that doesn't involve taking inventory. I decide to head over to Golf n' Stuff since it's around 40 minutes from this neighbourhood if you're walking but only like ten if you're driving. It's a nice day for a walk I figure that I should be out anyway, I can at least do something with my spare time. I head out the front door, making sure to lock it and slip the key in my pocket. God knows Larry would freak if I ever left the door unlocked. I'm not really used to locking the front door, I mean realistically it's not like we had anything worth taking. Who would even attempt to steal anything we had?

The walk there is nice. It's been cooler lately and I thank god I'm not dying from the dry heat of the Valley. I sweat an awful lot sometimes and it's not at all convenient in any sort of way considering all it really accomplishes is making you just feel gross and self-conscious, and it hardly helps to cool anything anyway. I spot the familiar sign, and I end up wandering around for awhile until I decide to head into the arcade. I head over to a shooting game, deciding that pretend murder might help ease the tension of recent events.

"Oh fuck yourself," I suck at this game and I've died twice already in the past five minutes. I groan under my breath, "Maybe I should choose a diffe-"

"You really aren't good at this game are you?"

I can't help but jump a bit at the sudden voice. It was like someone coming up behind you when it's quiet and yelling suddenly. Despite the noise of the surrounding arcade, I recognize that voice enough to, for a moment, consider not turning around.

"Shit, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." His voice sounds different like this. I can't tell if it's his tone or the proximity. We've been closer than this before I suppose.

Nervousness comes rushing back but I attempt to swallow it before speaking. "S'alright."

I look around briefly. "You here with the guys or something?" For some reason, it just occurs to me that there are no others around him. Usually, he's accompanied by at least Tommy and Bobby, but nobody seems to be with him.

"Na, just uh, killing some time, really." I notice he's got his headphones around his neck as usual. Who listens to music while they're in an arcade? "Are you with anyone?"

I shake my head. "No, just uh, my mom and her new boyfriend are on a lunch date or something, so I thought I'd leave the house…" Yes, because leaving the house does not occur very often, because I'm a loser, apparently. Why'd I say it like that?

"Oh, I see." That smile is back on his face and I can't help but mimic it. "Do you want some company?"

I'm silent for a moment but regain my ability to speak once he puts his hand above my head, on top of the screen. "Uh yeah, sure man." I see the corner of his mouth turn up a bit and the butterflies make their way to my throat.

We end up walking around for a bit, playing a few games and talking. I realize up until this point I had never really heard his voice in a casual way. He's talking still, about school and graduation, and how he doesn't know what he wants to do yet, and everyone is asking him about it, but all I can really think about is how nice his voice actually sounds when he's not threatening to pound me into the floor. It's got a calming quality to it, something I can't really place, but it's there. He looks at me suddenly and I'm snapped out of my thoughts. Boy, can he talk.

He yawns. "I think I'm gonna split and grab a coffee somewhere."

I didn't realize how long we'd been talking. Nearly an hour and a half had gone by and I barely noticed it. "Oh alright... well uh, it was nice talking to you, Johnny." I give him a small smile. I was hoping this casual friendliness would stay past tonight.

He looks to me again. "Did you wanna come with me? I wasn't gonna go straight home after this or anything, I'm just craving some coffee. There's a little cafe around here if you wanted to join me."

I nod, "Uh yeah, sure. Sounds good to me." I smile at him and he returns it; it's nice to see. We make our way to his car and I'm once again reminded of the main difference between him and I. The car is goddamn beautiful. I can only imagine what his house looks like. As we drive I let myself relax a bit, occasionally sneaking glances in his direction. I'm not one to be particularly shy, but a sudden sense of self-consciousness is slowly creeping in. It's an extremely foreign feeling being in this situation with him and I'm almost sure he can sense my nervousness. The fresh air is nice against my skin and I turn away from him slightly to gaze out his car window, trying to follow the rapidly passing stretch of road with my eyes.

We end up at a little French-themed cafe, where every drink and food item apparently comes from France. To my surprise, the menu which is entirely in French, which throws me off for a minute or two as I try to quickly scan for familiar words. Johnny is apparently having no trouble at all, and I wonder if he either comes here often enough to know the menu or actually understands French himself. Attempting to avoid any embarrassment, I settle on what I assume is a coffee and a type of pastry. The atmosphere is calming and I find myself much more at ease than in his car. We sit down at a little table by a window and we talk more about life in general and what he's doing after high school.

"If someone asks me what my plans are for the future one more time, I'm gonna lose it. I mean, I've still got the rest of this year left. I haven't even applied to any schools yet." His gaze turns downward for a minute.

"Do your parents bug you about that stuff?" I ask.

He shakes his head, a tight smile crossing his face. "All the fucking time, you have no idea."

His attention is suddenly shifted to the waitress as she places two drinks in front of us. I end up getting a black coffee with a little croissant thing and start slowly picking at it as we sit in calm silence.

I feel a bit bad for Johnny. I think back to a film that I watched a while ago called _The Graduate_ , and how Dustin Hoffman's character didn't have any idea of what he wanted to do after school, but all those people still constantly bugged him about it. I really like that movie but it makes me awfully depressed for some reason. The whole thing is essentially about how he screwed up his life, even more, going after that girl Elaine and running away. I don't think he even liked her that much. I glance up from my pastry and watch Johnny sip his drink. His eyes meet mine and I quickly look down again. I can't help but notice how blue his eyes are, I've never really looked at them closely before. Deep blue eyes and light blonde hair. Where I came from that was such a rare thing to see all at once. Over here it's common, typical even. Johnny's eyes don't seem so typical though, there's something that's a little different about them. A little nicer than the average person, maybe? I find myself trying sneaky glances over at his side, trying to pin down exactly what's so special about them.

He ends up driving me home since by the time we leave the cafe it's getting late and already somewhat dark. I don't mind in the least, I hate walking home in the dark for a number of reasons. We arrive at the before he pulls up to the mess that is South Seas, and I feel a little compelled to invite him in or something, but I quickly decide against it. The apartment is a mess last I checked, and seeing the outside is more than enough. I unfasten my seatbelt, getting out of a car that was easily the most expensive one I've ever been in. I close the door with a little more caution than I normally would when closing a car door, before turning and looking at him again.

"Thanks for the ride, this was fun."

"No problem." His smile is warm and genuine, and it looks ridiculously good on him.

A pause. He's about to pull out of the driveway but I stop him for a second. "Hey, uh, I had fun. Would you wanna maybe do this again sometime?"

He looks to the side for a moment and for a minute I fear I've crossed some kind of line. "Uh yeah, sure. Are you busy Tuesday after school? We could do something then."

I'm pleasantly surprised, and my brain trips up and I shake my head at him. "Yeah, I mean, no I'm uh, I'm free then. Tuesday works." I inwardly curse. Way to trip over your words, idiot. Did that even sound coherent? _  
_

"Alright, well I guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah, see ya around." I smile and watch him for a second longer as he backs out of the complex. I bounce up the stairs to my apartment and step inside, lingering in the entrance way for a minute. It's not until I encounter my mother that I realize I'm still making that stupid face.

"Sheesh, I haven't seen you this happy since the tournament, what's got you so worked up?" she says, her attention momentarily off the dishes in the sink.

It's quick to disappear. "Nothing, just in a good mood. Can't I be in a good mood?"

"I'm just asking... " I figure there's no point in telling her someone dropped me off and I head to the fridge to grab a drink. There's a quiet pause as she resumes washing, and I turn to head to my room but she speaks up again. "Who's car was that? That's a nice one."

Sneaky, I should've known. I might as well tell the truth, no sense lying if he might actually come over at some point. "It's Johnny's."

Her curiosity is piqued, and like most nosy parents she wants specifics. "Johnny who?" I'm almost sure she can sense my hesitation, even if she can't currently see the expression I'm fighting.

"Johnny, uh, you know from school and stuff... "

She's turned towards me now, drying a plate off. "Johnny like, _blonde, karate tournament_ Johnny?" Realization hits her and I flinch a bit.

"Yeah." My eyes are anywhere but her.

"What happened? Are you guys okay now?" She asks, understandably a little doubtful.

I shrug, "Yeah uh, we just sorta got talking tonight I guess, we got coffee and stuff."

"Oh." A slow little nod with the faintest of smiles. I shift my weight to one foot and lean on the counter. This is a tad awkward. Time to retreat to my bedroom. However, he continues her barrage of questions before I can even make it a step.

"Well, as long as you guys are okay now, why don't you invite him over sometime? I'd like to meet this boy." I can't really place her tone. Is this good? If he comes over is she gonna throw a vase at his head? I suddenly remember a Nova special I watched on the dynamics of grizzly bears and their young.

"Uh, sure. I'm seeing him Tuesday after school..." She turns away from me and continues washing dishes.

"I'll be home."

"I'll bring him around for a little bit then."

I finally manage to leave the kitchen, but as I'm entering my room her voice makes me freeze in the open doorway, something in it that I can't place as definitively good or bad.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him." I can practically feel the smirk on her face.

A very hesitant 'good' is all I can manage before slipping into my room and shutting the door. I flop down on the bed and try and wrap my head around the fact that I had just planned a casual outing with Johnny Lawrence, of all people.

* * *

 [2:26pm]

It's almost constantly warm here. Newark got real cold around November, but here it's well into February and it's nowhere near what I'm used to. I'm still half-expecting snow to start falling, although I'm certain it won't. Me and Johnny sit around the park by Larry's house, sitting on the swings and talking a while. It's getting less and less weird being around him casually like this. Despite the calming quiet and the warm air, there's something on my mind.

"I gotta ask you something."

"Yeah?"

I swallow. "Are you still doing karate?"

He pauses for a minute. "Not in a dojo. I mean, I practice on my own but I'm not on the team anymore." He remarks, somewhat dejectedly.

"Did you quit?" I sort of knew what happened already, but I wanted to get it from him.

I see his chest rise and fall. "Uh not really, I got kicked off after the tournament. I probably would have left eventually though, but I don't know for sure. You really don't know if you're gonna do something until you do it I guess." He pushes himself with his feet half halfheartedly.

"Why'd he kick you off?"

"'Cause you won the tournament, I didn't." His laugh is tensely bitter, and I feel like human garbage.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not a fan of people who choke me out."

"He's a little wacko anyways, if I'm being honest."

"Yeah, I realized that after he told Bobby to break your leg," He says flatly. "He's just an asshole."

My eyes go a little wide at his admission. "He told him to break my leg?" I ask, a little nonplussed.

He clicks his tongue audibly. "Something like that. Bobby left after that too, I wish I did." He says, again without much inflection in his voice.

"I saw that," I work up a bit of a nerve. "You're good enough without him anyway. You don't need someone like that, you could pretty much teach karate yourself." He's swinging pretty high now and I watch him for a minute, feathered blonde hair being splayed across his face as he goes back and forth.

He lets out a little huff. "Thanks. Your sensei..." He continues after a second, '"That was great, watching everyone leave." I hear him laugh again, but there's something a little off about it, like nervous, tinny laughter. "It's almost surreal."

I smile shyly at him. "He deserved it... you don't need him anyway, you're good enough without him," I decide to push this a bit, "Without anyone, actually." I keep my gaze on him, back and forth on the swing. My own swing sways slightly with my weight.

"I know he did, I'm kinda happy about it if I'm being honest." He says, looking at me again before his line of sight focuses straight ahead again, trying to push his swing even higher by swinging his legs out. I start to push myself a little, trying to get a rhythm going. I turn towards Johnny again, he's going high enough that the chain is starting to lock up when he reaches the top.

"Should I jump?" He flashes me a wide smile.

"No, god. You're way too high and you're gonna break your nose when you fall on your face."

"You're so sure I'm gonna fall?"

"I've done it before, okay?"

"Well, I'm more coordinated than you, alright?" His blonde hair is all in his face from the wind. "I've done this a million times, don't worry."

He slows down a bit, then launches himself off the swing. I panic for a split second, Oh please don't actually hurt yourself. He lands fine, thank god. I'm somewhat impressed he stuck the landing so well; he didn't even lose his balance. He kips up from his crouching position to look at me, satisfaction written all over his face.

"I told you!" He flicks his hair out of his face.

I dig my feet into the ground as my swing halts to a stop. He makes his way over, stopping just short from the dirt below my feet. He looks a little more than surprised when I take a cigarette out of my sweater pocket and light it. His brows knit together for a moment, eyes shifting back and forth in disbelief.

"You're the last person I thought would smoke."

I smirk. "Only sometimes. Do you want one?" I hold one out to him but he shakes his head. "No thanks."

He crouches down in front of me now, arms resting on his thighs and staring at me intently. I feel a little weird under his gaze and my eyes settle on his face. "What?" I ask.

A little pause like he's thinking. "You still going with Ali?"

"Uh, I think so."

He pulls a weird face. "You think so?" _It sounds stupid, I know._

"It's a little complicated. We don't have that much in common as we thought I guess. Like, we don't fight or anything, but it's gotten kinda... " I struggle for the right word.

"Stale? Boring? _Sexually unsatisfying_?" His eyebrows raise.

I think to myself. _I wouldn't know._ I haven't even had sex with Ali yet. I shake my head at his string of questions, taking a long drag before exhaling. "No, it's not like that," I mutter. "Uh, I guess we're both just not what we expected."

I think about his comment for a bit. Our sex life was alright for what it was. We hadn't gone all the way yet but we're still having fun. My brain turns on me suddenly. _I wonder what he's like. If the rumors are true, if what Susan has said about him was credible in the least... I bet he'd be real good._ I try to stop that image in its tracks for my own sake, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I know that feeling," He laughs a little. "Do you have anyone else in mind?"

I sigh quietly, fidgeting with my cig a bit. I find it a little weird talking to him about this like he wasn't just beating me into the floor over it. "I haven't found someone else or anything, it's just that we don't really have all that much in common I guess. Once the puppy love wore off, we figured that out pretty quick. I kinda wanna go back to being friends, but she probably won't want that." I laugh a little sarcastically. "I guess when I wasn't getting my ass kicked every day we found we had less to talk about." I meant it to be funny, but Johnny's mood visibly dampens. His expression is a little ambiguous now and I'm swiftly regretting my choice of words.

A tense pause, and I take another drag. I watch him bite his lip again. I realize I've been staring at him this whole time.

"We're okay now, right?" He sounds unsure.

That catches me a little off guard. I answer, my voice a little softer than I intend it to be. "Yeah, we're okay," I reluctantly look into his blue eyes again, the intensity of them is almost off-putting. Almost. "I like talking to you." Nervously, I chew on the inside of my mouth.

"Good."

He smiles, leaning on the side of the swing set watching me try and blow rings, occasionally cutting through the thick lines of smoke with his fingers.

After the park we decide to walk and talk around town for a while, wandering around different streets until it gets dark. We end up at my place again except this time I invite him back to the apartment for a little bit. For some reason I didn't expect Johnny to talk this much, but man can he talk. I'm not complaining or anything, but he could practically carry on the conversation himself. As I listen to Johnny go on and on, I look to him for a brief few seconds. I can see why Ali went for him; he's handsome, almost intimidatingly so. Tall and broad-shouldered, the classic blonde California boy that I'm sure the girls go crazy over. I think briefly if he's got someone else in the time that I've been with Ali. For a moment I get so caught up in this particular thought that I end up almost walking by the apartment that I'm supposed to be bringing him over to. His voice draws me out of my reverie.

"Uh, where are you going?" He's got a little amused smile on his face. "Your apartment is this way isn't it?"

I completely walked right past the whole building. I have no idea where I'm headed this way, into the back field, apparently. Fuck me, I look like an idiot.

"Uh yeah, sorry..." I walk back and open the gate, letting him in.

He laughs a little. "Up here?" He points to the stairs.

"Yeah, apartment 20." I follow him up and I feel slightly anxious as we approach my apartment door.

When we walk in, Ma is there to greet us like she said she would. I don't know why I expected any different, like for some reason she wouldn't be here just waiting for me to bring him around.

She's all friendly, trademark motherly smile on her face. "Oh, hi Johnny. It's _Johnny,_ right?" _  
_

"Yes, Johnny Lawrence... it's very nice to meet you Mrs.LaRusso."

"It's nice to finally meet you too, properly." She offers her hand and he shakes it curtly, I see him tense up a bit at the awkwardness of it all.

I briefly look to Johnny's face and I'm a little taken aback by his expression. I've never seen him look guilty before but he sure looked it now, and I decide I'm better off I trying to remedy this; I didn't invite him over to be interrogated. I mean, I can understand after all that's been said and done, but this isn't what I wanted to happen tonight.

_What did you want to happen tonight, exactly?  
_

I'm quick to interrupt the stare-down my mother seems to be intent on giving him, like she's trying to size him up. "Yeah uh, we were just gonna hang out for a bit, in my room, if that's alright." _Did that sound weird? I bet it did. Between me and Ma, I bet he's plenty weirded out by now. This was a terrible idea bring him here-_

"Of course." She smiles again, like everything's normal and this is just another person in our house, not one that tried to maybe kill her son by running him off a cliff.

"Does your friend want a drink first?" She looks at me pointedly like I was supposed to already ask him this myself. "Do you want a drink, Johnny? Something hot? We have hot chocolate, or some jasmine tea if you'd like." She offers, voice a little softer than before.

He visibly relaxes, breathing the tenseness away from his shoulders. "Uh sure, tea sounds great. Thank you."

While she rummages through the pantry he talks quietly to me, leaning very slightly towards my ear. "Does this mean she likes me?"

"I think so."

When we go and sit on the couch in the living room, I'm suddenly aware of the state of the apartment. I think bitterly that it must look awful to him. It looks awful to _me._ I can only imagine the utter lavishness he lives in. Rooms large enough to negate cramming things in corners, huge beds that don't leave your back aching, walls painted those muted browns and sand colours that I frequently see in those beautiful houses we could never afford, all probably maintained by a maid or two so his mother can keep her polished manicures. His family probably has more material possessions than we have dollars to our name. I absentmindedly chew a fingernail and as my brain sinks deeper and deeper into a retarded game of 'Johnny's Amazing Little Life', I try not to sink into a mood and instead focus back on what's in front of me, in this case, the TV wedged into a blue-painted entertainment unit. 

Ma comes waltzing back into the living room with a tea for Johnny and a hot chocolate for me, and I blow gently at the tiny marshmallows on top. She sits with us for a little while, asking Johnny questions about his parents, his life and, because apparently nobody can stay away from this topic, what he's doing after high school. I'm painfully aware of his close proximity to me and I fear that if the television wasn't on that he could hear my heart thumping away in my chest. Besides some awkward small talk from my mother, the rest of the night is uneventful and I'm able to relax a bit at the fact that he and Ma seem to be getting along just fine, but Johnny's potential bad impression of us is still nagging at the back of my mind. I hope he doesn't reconsider wanting to be seen with me. I wouldn't blame him though, and that's even more pathetic.

We watch TV for a little bit before Ma offers to take our finished drinks to the kitchen for us. As he leans back into his place on the couch, I feel the side of his leg rest against mine ever so slightly. My heart jumps in my chest and I look to him expecting him to move it back, but it never happens. I don't dare move either. Ma comes back and she doesn't notice at all. My brain goes into thought overdose and I lower my head a bit to hide my suddenly hot face.


	6. Nothing Good Ever Comes Without a Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's second attempt at a heist. 
> 
> Daniel realizes he's developing romantic feelings for Johnny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE thank you to The EmpressAR for editing this chapter and providing me with some ideas. Sorry it's so late. but I will be able to continue this more often from now on. Thank goodness. It's been too long since the last update, let's hope this never happens again. I have lots to do for this, as I plan for it to be like 20-something chapters long. 
> 
> Here is an extra long chapter to hopefully make up for the 3-month gap. 
> 
> Also, since the character of Larry is to be more present in the story, I picture him portrayed by Robert DeNiro. So, yeah, envision that I guess.

 

 

 

  

  Soundtrack: Iggy Pop - The Passenger, found here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLhN__oEHaw]

 

Friday, 16th March.

[8:02pm]

"Would you hurry up?"

"I don't know if I can do this, maybe I should just keep a lookout…"

"Freddy man, why'd you drag him into this? He's already chickening out, I told you he wouldn't go through with this!"

"Okay, everyone needs to shut the fuck up before we get caught. Let's go already c'mon, inside. Go in through there, the screen is loose. See that gap there?"

Freddy is unsuccessfully trying to divert attention away from the group, all the while a slightly twitchy Daniel is ready to flee at the sight of his own shadow.

"Calm down, okay?" Daniel nods absentmindedly, and Freddy gives him a slight push towards of the house. "Let's go."

Acting carefully, Freddy pulls the screen cover off the window, using two hands to carefully push it up and open. It's dark; nightfall was technically a few hours ago and the only lights were from the windows above their heads.

A thought comes to Daniel in a rush. "How'd you know it was open?"

Freddy didn't skip a beat. "'Cause I did."

Piling in quietly they drop down to the basement, quietly sifting through the stuff on the floor.

Chuckie talks in a hushed whisper, well aware of the people upstairs. "God Freddy are you sure about this? This guy has a lot of shit here, how do we know any of it's good, what if he saves the good shit for upstairs?"

"Listen, I know okay? Just trust me and don't knock anything over. There's a wine jug behind you, so watch it."

Daniel is a bundle of anxiety, quietly tiptoeing around everything while the others make quick moves around the confined space, flashlights the only source of light. He can hear the people upstairs, talking and laughing loud. A party, some kind of get together that would certainly be able to mask any sounds they might make. Drunk people are less attentive and less agile. If they get caught, they can at least have a chance at running. Daniel thinks for a moment. What was he supposed to be looking for anyway? He searches a desk, looking into files and opening drawers. He's half scouring the area, half watching the stairs for any signs of the basement door opening. Someone shoves his shoulder suddenly.

"LaRusso, do something for fuck's sake! Here, take this and go put this outside the window."

A box is shoved in his hands, he doesn't bother to open it but the weight feels serious enough that he's immediately regretting agreeing to this stupid, stupid plan. What if someone is waiting for them outside? What if someone comes downstairs? What if-

"Let's go come on!" He's shoved again, nearly losing his balance with the heavy box still in his arms. Daniel hurls the box as gingerly as he can out the small space in the window and onto the grass. Freddy's already outside, ready to pull Daniel up so he can squeeze himself through. Billy puts the screen back to the window and the group flees through darkened backyards until they reach a stretch of road.

They walk back to Billy's house, the only one of them who actually lives in West Hills. Coat pockets are filled with jewelry, cash, and anything else Freddy deemed valuable enough to swipe. The box is still held under Daniel's arm and only partially concealed under his jacket. He's shaky and nervous, still feeling like he'd need to suddenly dart away at the slightest sign of trouble.

Freddy's arm is around his shoulders again. "Relax, it's done with now, see? We got it."

Chuckie laughs, addressing him. "I don't think he's gonna be up for another mission, man."

"I don't wanna hear it, he did just fine. Much better than the first time."

Billy nudges him in the shoulder, and Daniel can't help but flinch at the sudden movement. "Just try not to stand there as much next time, huh?"

 

 _Get into the car_  
_We'll be the passenger_  
_We'll ride through the city tonight_  
_See the city's ripped backsides  
_

* * *

Daniel sits on the floor, while the three boys search through the box's contents. Jewelry, tons of it, gold and silver and diamond rings, all splayed out on the floor of Billy's bedroom.

"This stuff's gotta be worth a fortune. My god we fuckin' made it this time." Chuckie holds up a chain, large interconnected hoops of yellow gold; it's the most impressive necklace Daniel's ever seen up close.

Freddy eyes it. "That's a Gucci chain, worth a decent chunk."

"When'd you become a jewellery connoisseur?"

"Please, anyone knows what Gucci looks like."

"We gonna sell it or keep it?" Billy asks.

Chuckie snorts. "How the hell would we wear any of this? If I wore that around my mom she'd be on my case faster than I could even make it outta the house with it."

"We can keep some of it I guess, nothing too flashy. Rings, small chains or somethin'."

Daniel pipes up. "How do you even sell all this? I mean, don't they wonder where you're gettin' all this?"

Freddy just laughs. "They don't care where it comes from, they're makin' money, that's all." He keeps sorting. Besides, we don't sell it all at once or nothin', you gotta space it out and switch up your locations every once in a while. If all of us sell this stuff by ourselves, nobody's gonna question anything."

"Yeah, until people start looking for it."

"Listen, half the people don't realize it's gone anyway and the other half are too rich to give a shit. The got enough in the bank to leave this shit in their basement, they don't even lock it up. They'll think they lost it or something. Besides, we haven't gotten caught yet and we ain't gonna, as long as we keep smart about it. Stop worrying, would ya?"

Daniel let the subject drop. Freddy's promise about his end of the deal (and a decent split of the money) was good enough for him. It's not like his mother was in a place to suddenly become nosey of any extra cash he'd have around.

Freddy addresses him again, "After we're done with this I'll give ya a ride back, okay?"

Daniel nods, and Billy tosses him a gold wedding band.

* * *

 [9:52pm]

A sudden swerve into South Sea's parking lot has the car behind them honking in clear agitation.

"I'm surprised your mother lets you borrow her car when you drive like this."

"Shut up."

Freddy pulls into an open space, crookedly jutting out slightly to the other side. Turning the key in the ignition, he shuts the engine off but doesn't get out right away, and Daniel lingers in the car.

"Can I count on you for next time?"

A pause as Daniel mentally tallies his options, simultaneously looking for his mother's car in the lot. "Can I think about it?"

"Sure. Just, remember what we talked about?"

Daniel waves him off. "I'm not gonna tell anyone, I'm not an idiot."

He hears Freddy snicker. "I know you're not. Here, something extra for you." Daniel turns away from his window and feels Freddy put something in his pocket.

"What's this for?" It's more cash, a good number of twenties. At least around $100 dollars.

He's smiling knowingly. "Incentive," He reaches across his lap, unlatching the door from his side and pushing it open. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

Daniel shakes his head, getting out of the car and smiling at him through the still-open window. "Yeah, I'll see ya."

Opening his apartment door, he finds the lights off but dinner still simmering on the stove for him. He looks around, her bedroom door is open. His confusion deepens and he calls out.

"Ma?"

No answer. He figures maybe she's working later than usual. Or maybe she's out with Larry, either way, at least there's dinner for him. Still though, it's late. Late enough that he thinks that for sure she'd be home before him. Where was she by now? It's 11 o'clock at night.

Turning on the TV to a suitable volume, he shuts off the stove and settles himself down with a bowl of soup. Magnum p.i. was on, and Daniel resigns himself to cheesy detective antics and girls in bikini's until his mother gets home, wherever that happens to be. He figures she shouldn't be too much longer so it wouldn't hurt to wait for her. He vaguely wonders if Tom Selleck's mustache deserves its own credit.

 _Oh, the passenger_  
_How-how he rides_  
_Oh, the passenger_  
_He rides and he rides_  
_He looks through his window_  
_What does he see?_

[7:32am]

His mother comes home and by the time she steps in, it's well into the morning. He sits up, groggy and still half asleep after being startled awake by the sudden closing of the apartment door.

"Oh, Daniel, you're awake. What are you doing on the couch?"

"I uh, I was waiting for you... where've you been?" He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, taking notice of the brightness of the room now, the side of his neck sore and stiff from sleeping on it wrong, the TV channel now off the air. It was morning and she was just coming in.

"I was out, I left dinner on the stove for you, did you eat?" She hurries, placing her purse on the couch and heading into her bedroom.

"Yeah uh, you were gone all night?"

When she comes out again, she's brushing her hair and holding a bobby pin in her mouth. "Yeah, I was out with Larry. I just didn't wanna come in and wake you so I figured you could have the house to yourself for a night. Is somethin' the matter?" She's attempting to pin front pieces of it into place. "I'm sorry I'm rushing but I gotta go to work, they called me in earlier than usual today. Go figure on my day off... have you seen my black shoes around here?"

Daniel automatically checks under the couch, but they aren't there for once, and he hears Lucille call from her bedroom.

"I found them, don't worry!"

She rushes into the living room, Daniel is still groggy from being woken up and none too impressed at her being out all night. He watches her as she rushes around the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the fridge and slipping on her shoes.

"I'm gonna be home kinda late, there's enough soup there for dinner still. I shouldn't be home any later than 10, alright?"

"Going out with him again?" He gives her a look that makes his annoyance all too clear.

"Yes I am. Daniel, you can't be mad at me for wanting a life outside the house you know."

His voice is flat, "Yeah, I know."

"He's a nice guy, just give him a chance. He's coming for dinner tomorrow, I'm gonna make chicken cacciatore."

Daniel rolls his eyes behind her back, a gesture she doesn't see. "Wow, must be a special occasion." From the look Lucille gives him, she catches onto the bitterness in his voice, a distinct tenseness evident between them. Lucille picks up her purse and looks at her disgruntled son. He's glaring.

"It is. I'm expecting you to be there too." She opens the door, "I've gotta go now. I'll see you later on tonight." She closes the door behind her, and Daniel aggressively tosses a couch pillow at the closed door, fleeing to his bedroom in a huff. He has places to be today, Johnny would be here by noon and he decides that he's in need of a long, destressing shower before then.

 

 _He sees the bright and hollow sky_  
_He sees the city asleep at night_  
_He sees the stars are out tonight_  
_And all of it is yours and mine_

_Oh, let's ride and ride and ride and ride  
_

* * *

 

    [Soundtrack: Rob Simonson - Walk in The Woods, found here: [www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1mi77SAoPc]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1:48pm]

The past couple weeks have been a little intense. School has been busy par usual and Ali has been busy with college applications and prom planning, so seeing each other outside of school has become a bit of a rarity. Johnny has been taking up the majority of my free time recently, though not that I mind at all, I'm starting to grow pretty fond of him. I wasn't expecting this fast of a friendship or anything. I wasn't expecting a friendship at all, it just kinda happened. Today we decide to take a break from the city and go to one of the parks that's a little out of the way.

The sun is intense and hot with no clouds to cover it, and I'm thankful for the slight breeze. The park is quiet and he and I are laying in the grass, I subtly try to inch closer to him. A few days ago, I realized what was going on with me and it's getting harder to ignore. I'm pretty sure he's noticed whenever I look at him in class, although I'd always have to be careful when his friends were around, I don't need them getting any ideas about me. I would never live it down if they even got a hint of what I'm beginning to feel for him. The daydreams are getting out of hand and it's getting embarrassing to wake up every morning thinking of him that way, like my brain is trying to remind me in the most agonizing way possible of what I couldn't ever have. I once read about a theory that people tend to find people more attractive when they spend more time around them. I wonder if this could be a reliable explanation for my sudden lust. One day all is fine, and the next I'm woken up with questionable images burned into the back of my retinas. Sometimes I'll risk looking at him the way Ali looks at me, all suggestive and flirtatious. Is it weird that I've picked that up from her? I'm playing with fire here and I feel like it's going to end badly for me anyway. I try to think if I've ever caught him looking at me discreetly.

The warmth of the sun is a little sedating. I sneak a glace in his direction, turning my head sideways to look at him and I have to squint through the bright sunlight to focus on his face. I close my eyes.

"Tired?" My eyes snap open again. He's still flat on his back, hands resting lightly on his chest, looking up at the clear sky, squinting at the sun. The trees above us cast small shadows over his face, leaves swaying with the slight breeze. Little streams of sunlight dip in and out of my vision. I take a small breath in. The intrusive loudness of the city is barely noticeable here.

I clear my throat a bit. "A little, the sun's just relaxing I guess. I always get tired when I lay outside, it's really nice around here." I liked the effect that the quietness had on me. I can think clearly. I sit up suddenly, an idea running through my head. "Do you wanna see the pond?"

"The pond?"

"There's a fish pond, with a little waterfall and some rocks. It's nice. We should go see it."

"Sure, why not. Let's go visit the fishies."

\--

As we sit, I think. He's close to the edge of the bank, talking softly to the fish and trying to get them to bite at his fingertips. It's working a little, and I can see the mouths of koi fish come up from the water as he dangles his fingers above their heads.

"Does that hurt?" I ask.

"Not at all. It just kinda feels funny." He looks back at me for a second, "Come, try it. They don't really have teeth or anything."

Cautiously, I scoot towards the edge of the bank, holding my hand out and waiting for the fish to come around. After a few moments, one finally nibbles, and when I reflexively pull my hand away, Johnny laughs.

I realize we are a little closer than before. My heartbeat is practically cracking ribs.

"It feels kinda neat. It's fun to feed them too but I don't have any food on me. You know these things get like three feet long sometimes?"

He goes on in the typical Johnny-like ramble, about koi and how he used to try and pet the fish in his mother's tanks when he was little, but all I can think about is how close we are. I'm getting antsy. He's still talking.

_What's the worst that could happen?_

(Easy, he beats me up).

_But what if he doesn't? What if he likes it? What if he likes you?_

...

_Do it now, you'll never get another chance._

Acting on lust-driven impulse, I lean in closer dipping my head to the side and even before he realizes what I'm doing, I kiss him. It's a soft, light kiss and it lasts for only a second before I pull away. I'm a few inches from his face and I can see his initial disbelief. His face remains a little ambiguous as panic starts to settle in slowly.

I quickly whip my head back, attempting to apologize before he inevitably tries to drown me. "I'm sorry, I didn't uh, I-"

I can feel him looking at me, and my eyes are anywhere but him. My chest gets a little fluttery when he scoots in closer to me, no longer at my side but facing me now, so close that I can see his features in utmost detail; there are some light freckles that dust the bridge of his nose and I'm tempted to reach out and trace them with my fingers. His shirt smells like laundry soap and the grass we're sitting in. His hands go to rest on my arms and I feel nervous again as he leans in close to me and I can't look him in the eyes, and instead just look at his lips while he leans even closer. When I finally can feel his mouth on mine, I quickly close my eyes again. The kiss he gives me is soft and hesitant all the same, only it's not a peck; it's intimate and deep and wonderful, and I can feel my face get warm as he tugs on my bottom lip with his teeth.

We stay like that for a few moments, wrapped up in each other and exchanging intimate kisses when I feel his hand reach up to rest on my face. I gingerly place mine on his shoulder, my fingers wrap themselves around his arm and I can't help the little sound in my throat as his fingers caress my jaw. To my right, I hear a koi briefly break the surface of the water and it brings the outside world back in. As he pulls away, I look at his face in the bright sunlight, his eyes are squinted against the afternoon sun and the smallest trace of a smile is on his face. He looks real cute like this. I feel the corner of my lips tug up in a response as I say the only thing that I can find words for.

"You're a good kisser."

He bites his lip at my admission, and I'm rewarded with another kiss.

* * *

[4:45pm]

It's been two days since the park and I still can't stop thinking about him. I've been smiling like an idiot every time I think of our kiss, or rather, kisses. Amazing, wonderful kisses. Of all the things I thought could have a chance at happening, this certainly wasn't one of them. I completely forgot to give him my number that day, so today I tried to discreetly tape it into his locker. I didn't wanna write my name on it in case his friends found it before he did, so I'm hoping he's smart enough to know who a random number stuck to his locker is from.

Or knowing my luck, he's gonna throw it away not knowing who it's from and I'll have to hope I can run into him again when we're both alone to give it to him again. Apparently, I don't think too well whenever he's around me.

Walking into the foyer, I can hear Ma and Larry in the kitchen talking. I drop my bag by my feet, catching bits of their conversation. I try to close the door as silently as possible, so maybe I can get a chance to eavesdrop a bit. I hear them talking about something, but I can't quite hear them right. I slowly pad through the front hall towards the kitchen, making sure not to alert them. I catch bits and pieces of the conversation as I get closer towards the kitchen archway.

"Did you talk… before?"

"No, I didn't... upset him… badly."

What the hell was this about? I finally hear a full sentence.

"He's a good kid Lucille, he'll understand."

_Understand what? What am I understanding?_

"I know, but I already made one decision without him, I didn't wanna spring it on him too early."

"Then talk to him."

 _Oh fuck off, what is this? Are we moving to Peru?_ I make myself visible and step out of my hiding place.

"Hi."

Ma whips around suddenly and Larry turns to face me calmly. "Hey Daniel, where've you been all day?" He asks me, with that friendly, upward inflection heavy in his voice.

"I uh, I went to see Mr. Miyagi after school." Awkward pause. "What are you guys talking about?" I ask, my tone slightly accusing without meaning to be.

Ma looks at me, before leading me out of the kitchen and into the living room, gesturing for me to sit down. This is already not looking promising.

"I know I've made some decisions without you this year, but I don't wanna make this one without discussing it with you first."

I raise an eyebrow, "Okay."

She sits down in front of me with Larry standing at her side. "Larry has invited us to move in with him." My romance-induced euphoria depletes little by little. My mood drops, and I can feel it in my face. I can't say I wasn't expecting it, with how much time we spend over there, but I wasn't expecting this so soon. How long had it been? A few months? Hardly time to fucking move in with each other. Then again she'd been seeing him way before I even knew about it.

Ma looks reluctant, but I don't say anything so she keeps talking to fill the silence. "I uh, I think it would be a real step up from where we live now. His house is big enough for all three of us, and your room would be the one you've been sleeping in upstairs, there's lots of room for us all." She puts her hand on mine. "We didn't wanna just spring this on you last minute but we just didn't know how to bring this up." She laughs a little nervously. I kinda wonder what's got them so worked up, I'm not going to go ballistic and freak out on them or anything. Sure I'm not the happiest about this, but his house in West Hills was a real step up from the shithole that's Reseda.

Larry addresses me now. "We just thought since you guys already are over at my place pretty often, it would be easier for us. You'd probably like the space better than here, huh?" He chuckles. "You have your room upstairs, and we would be on the first floor. So it'd be a whole floor away from us old folks if you wanted privacy." Ma smiles again, at him though, not at me.

"I want you to be honest with us, I can understand if you're not comfortable with it yet and that's why your mother wanted to talk with you about it first."

It's better than here. If it means I get to live somewhere other than this apartment complex, I'm halfway there already. And if we live with him, she won't have to go out every night to see him. I think to myself a bit. _She'll be around more. He makes her happy. At least I have a say in it this time._

Still looking at my feet, I nod. "Alright." I look up to see their faces. I think they're both surprised I agreed to this so quickly. We're practically living there already, so I don't see much difference in it. I think suddenly, _when exactly are we moving?_ I should tell Freddy I'm finally going to be getting out of here. I wonder if this will affect our plans. Billy's house must be somewhat close if he's in the same neighbourhood.

"When is this happening?" I ask.

Ma answers without skipping a beat. "We hoped as soon as the month is up, that way we don't have to sign for another 6 months here," she pauses like she's thinking. "I guess it's a week or two from now... what day is it today?" She turns to Larry.

"It's the 19th I think. Either way, it's soon." He looks at me now. "I'm really glad you're okay with this. It'll be nice to come home to you two, it'll be like we're a real family." He looks at Ma again in a dopey, sweet way that makes me think back to Judy. Should I just start mailing wedding invitations now?

I try to keep myself from expressing any negative feelings so clearly on my face. "Can I uh, go now?" 

They look up again; I've apparently interrupted their romantic reverie. "Of course. Dinner is gonna be ready in a little bit okay? I'll call you when it's done."

"Thanks."

I awkwardly get up and walk to my room, a whole ten steps away from the kitchen. This apartment is so tiny you can't really have any privacy. It's hard to be alone when the walls are paper thin and I can still hear them talking away, hushed tones and a few whispers like I somehow won't be able to hear them a few feet away. This dinner is going to be even more awkward than the first one. I'd think about ditching completely if I weren't so hungry.

_Oh, Johnny, please find that number. I've never needed to hear your voice more.  
_


	7. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out to be a rough few days for poor Daniel, but don't worry, with Johnny's help he'll be alright. 
> 
> The Lawrusso ship has set sail... full speed ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, HUGE, fluffy bunny thank you to EmpressAR for all her lovely help and encouragement. You are wonderful! 
> 
> Here is another kinda long chapter. Things are moving forward, and we now have a reason to put an M rating on this!!  
> I'm super excited about this finally moving along! Yay! I hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> also, omg this chapter is 8k words. This might take a bit to read so settle in with nice cup of tea or something c:

Wednesday, March 20th

[7:02am]

 

Sleep eases the tension. No call from Johnny yet, and I'm slightly worried he never got it... or maybe he just doesn't want to call.  
  
_God, I hope that's not it._  
  
I head down the hall to the bathroom, but the door's locked.  
  
A familiar male voice sounds from the other side of the door. "I'll be out in a second!"  
  
Wait, what?  
  
For fuck's sake, why is he here this early in the morning? He slept over and I didn't even notice it!  
  
The opening of a door to my right sends my head turning. _Oh Jesus fuck, no, no no! Why is she wearing that!_  
  
"Oh Daniel, you're up early." It's Ma, in a robe. I half avoid looking at her. She looks slightly guilty. Maybe it's because her boyfriend is in the bathroom and I just woke up to her in a silk nightie.  
  
"... I gotta go." I scowl, and hurriedly march back to my bedroom to get ready for school.

 

* * *

Soundtrack: [The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51OB2YoC4sg)

 

 

[7:52am]

"You're getting a shiny new house and he makes your mom happy. Isn't that something to be at least a bit enthusiastic about?"  
  
"I know, I know. It's just they've only been together for a few months. I just hope she's not going too fast with him."  
  
"Hasn't she been seeing him a while now? I mean, if they're moving in together, don't you thunk think that they've been involved for longer than a few months? She sounds like she likes him enough, anyway." I chew that statement for a bit. Ali would know that by now with how much Ma gushes over him, and I can practically hear her myself, _'I really think this is it Daniel, I think love this man.'_

Ali's heard that almost as much as I have.  
  
"When are you guys moving?"  
  
We stand around in the corridor talking and holding hands, while students brush by us. "Next week..." I see Johnny out of the corner of my eye, behind Ali's head of blonde fluffy curls. I hold her hand in mine, wondering if she can sense my anxiety. I don't doubt that Ali is perceptive enough to be able to sense guilt through someone's touch. I feel awful; I don't wanna hurt her. I don't wanna break her heart.  
  
_So, what are we going to do about Ali? You still like her, don't you?_  
  
_(Yes!)_  
  
_Then we've got a problem here._  
  
_(Yes, I know!)_  
  
"Daniel?"  
  
Her voice brings me back to earth. "Yeah?"  
  
"Did you hear what I said? I asked if I could call you tonight."  
  
I nod. "Yeah, of course." I figure maybe she wanted to make up for the time we've missed. We haven't exactly been much of  'a couple' these past few weeks. More fights, more bullshit. A long talk with her would be nice. She leans in and I go to kiss her mouth, but she turns her head so that she kisses my cheek instead. I shake off the weird feeling this gives and watch as she walks backwards out of the courtyard, looking eyes lingering on me before she starts to turn, and I call out to her before she can get too far. My guilt speaks for me.  
  
"Ali?"  
  
She stops. "Yeah, Daniel?"  
  
"You look really beautiful today." A big smile spreads across her face at that. She's all giddy and flattered now. She approaches me again and gives me a kiss that makes the entire outside world get quieter for the few seconds her lips are covering my mouth. She pulls away, that amazing Ali-with-an-I smile still on her face, and I think back to when I first saw her at the beach.  
  
"I'll talk to you tonight, okay?"  
  
"I'll be home." I watch her go for a bit before turning down the corridor, only to nearly jump back as I come face to face with the second pretty blonde that I've kissed this past week.  
  
"Jesus, Johnny. You scared me."  
  
He doesn't say anything right away, just looks at me, judging, scrutinizing.  
  
_As he should be, you absolute whore._  
  
"You doing anything tonight?"  
  
_I wish I were dead._  
  
My hand goes to my mouth, a habit of biting my nails. "Um, kinda... "  
  
"With Ali." He says it like it's not a question.  
  
I swallow. "Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, she was just gonna-"  
  
"It's fine. What about tomorrow, you free then?"  
  
I nod, "Yeah."  
  
The slightest trace of a smile returns. "Good. I'll pick you up, 6 o'clock." The bell rings in the distance. "Better get to class, wouldn't wanna be late."  
  
I nod again. I want to hug him or something, but it feels like it would just be flat out inappropriate right now. I step to the side, intending to go around him and head to class but he grabs me by the arm before I even have a chance.  
  
"What is it- " I squeak, forming words cut off by his mouth. There's no gentleness to this kiss, only urgency and when he pulls away I make another sound in my throat that gives him a breathy little laugh. I'm being caught off guard by kisses today.  
  
It takes a few seconds to compose myself again. "What was that for?"  
  
He smirks at me with that trademark Johnny Lawrence smugness, like he's aware of just how much of an effect he's got on me. "Just wanted to give you something to think about while you're in class."  
  
He too, turns and leaves me standing there in the corridor, all the while I touch my mouth absentmindedly. Before I get any later I decide to quickly jog my way to homeroom.

 

* * *

"Daniel, the phone's for you!"  
  
When I step into the living room, she's holding the phone out to me. I quickly take it from her.  
  
"Hey, you."  
  
"Hey, LaRusso." Expecting to hear the soft inflection of Ali's voice, the unfamiliar tone catches me off guard a bit. I try to quickly jog my memory but I can't immediately recognize the voice on the other end.  
  
"Uh I'm sorry, who is this?"  
  
"It's Johnny... were you expecting someone else? That was your note, wasn't it? Don't tell me you've forgotten me already."  
  
"Uh no, of course not. Just didn't recognize your voice over the phone." I'm partially relieved that he got my note, but we don't have call waiting and I don't know what time Ali planned on calling me. I look to Ma, still lingering in the kitchen, not-so inconspicuously trying to listen in. and I try to make it clear that I'd like some privacy and wave at her, a quick shoo-ing gesture and she finally relents, walking out to her room.  
  
"Oh," He laughs. "I was thinking about you today... "  
  
I cradle the receiver close to my face as I speak softly; I didn't need Ma prying as to why I was using this tone of voice with someone other than Ali. "So was I. I wanted to hug you today, but you were with Tommy at lunch."  
  
He sighs. It's a light, happy sound and I get the urge to hug him again. "How was your day?"  
  
Someone knocks on the door. I wait for Ma to answer it but after a few seconds, she still doesn't come out of her room. "Hold on a sec Johnny..." I yell to her, "Ma, can you get the door!"  
  
"Sorry about that."  
  
"That's okay... "  
  
My back is still turned so I don't know it's her until I hear her voice.  
  
"Oh hi Lucille, is Daniel here?" Oh, shit.  
  
"Yeah, he's just in the kitchen. Come in, come in."  
  
I can hear the slight confusion in his voice. "What's going on?"  
  
"Um... "  
  
Ma yells to me again. "Daniel, Ali's here, hang up the phone."  
  
I try to wave her off. "I'm just saying goodbye, hold on."  
  
I hear his voice again. " Your date, is it?"  
  
"Yeah uh, I'm sorry I gotta go."  
  
Pause. I'm about to say goodbye before he interjects.  
  
"Hey Daniel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Just don't go forgetting me again, alright?" He's trying to sound neutral voiced, to feign a sort of indifference, but I can catch an inkling of bitterness there. I don't blame him.  
  
I talk as softly as I can. "I'll call you later tonight?"  
  
"Sure." He hangs up before I get a chance at a goodbye.  
  
Somewhat awkwardly, I gingerly place the phone back on the receiver and turn and face Ma and Ali, both in the living room chatting idly while Ma asks her about what she's doing after graduation; where she's going to school and all.  
  
She smiles at me. "Hey."  
  
"Hey, uh, I thought you were gonna call."  
  
She shrugs, "I thought we'd go out instead. Was I interrupting anything?"  
  
I shake my head. "Uh, no, not at all. let's go." I lead her out the door and Ma waves us off. Her car, all shiny and white, looks out of place in the lot. We sit in her car for a few moments before the question of where we're heading to crosses my mind, but she pipes up before I can even ask.  
  
"I thought we could go see a movie, what do you say?" I figure we could see whatever is playing tonight."  
  
I nod, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you want." I touch her hand, "I'm just glad to spend time with you." She doesn't smile this time, but looks down and starts the car.

* * *

[7:28pm]

The night goes well but she's still quieter than she normally is, having said close to nothing the whole night. We drive home and she takes a route I don't recognize.  
  
"Where we goin'?"  
  
"Someplace quiet."  
  
I scan the scenery outside, passing by in a blur as she drives through the backroads.  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
She gets solemn and my chest tightens with nerves. _This is karma, This is karma for pretty much cheating on her with her own ex-boyfriend._  
  
"You know I love you right? Even if I've never said it out loud?"  
  
"Ali, what's wrong?"  
  
"Daniel, I need you to understand something-"  
  
I understand immediately. "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" She's still driving, a mostly empty stretch of road in front of us. It's quiet, and for a few moments I just sit and let her words digest.  
  
"I guess I am, yeah."  
  
Not gonna lie, I'm a little shocked. I mean, I know things have been off lately, but, why? Does she know? Shouldn't she be angrier with me? Or is this about something else? Somebody else?  
  
"I'm leaving for Colorado soon... I'm not gonna see you. It's not fair to leave this for so long, I mean, we both know it's gonna have to end sometime. I want to be able to focus on my exams and a break up in the middle of it would be-"  
  
I huff, "Distracting?"  
  
"It would be hard to see my notes through all the tears." She looks at me then. She's sad, I can see it. I feel even worse for lying to her all this time with Johnny. It was just a kiss, but deep down I know that I should've ended this the second I started thinking about him late at night.

We pull up to the apartment lot while the car slows to a stop. We sit at the side of the road and I have to suppress my urge to just get out there and then. I can't pull my thoughts from my head yet; they're not coherent nor are they very kind. I don't even know why I'm mad. I shouldn't be, I have no real right to be sad or upset by this but it still hurts all the same. Awkward silence passes between us until she speaks again.  
  
"Please say something."  
  
"I... I'm sorry."  
  
That makes her laugh a little, like she doesn't understand why I'd be apologizing while she's sitting here breaking up with me. "Why are _you_ sorry? I'm the one breaking this off... "  
  
"I'm sorry I haven't exactly been the best boyfriend to you." My guilt is speaking for me now.  
  
She sighs again. "You didn't do anything wrong, believe me. It's just... it's a bad time now."  
  
"I understand." I breathe in deeply, trying my best to keep the shakiness out of my voice, "Honest."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Look." she says, pointing to the sky through the car's window. It's the moon, bright and full, making the darkness of the night a little brighter, soft shadows cast over the apartment's lot. She's looking at me still, hasn't taken her eyes off me the whole time we've sat here.  
  
I look back at her again. "Goodnight Ali."  
  
"Goodnight." I can see that she's crying a bit, blue eyes glinting in the light.  
  
She goes to kiss my cheek. It's something she's always done but this time I dodge her to avoid the contact. It's just... I can't. Not now. Instead, I take her hand from around the car's clutch and squeeze it. Her eyes go to her lap.  
  
I open the door, gently closing it behind me as I exit her car for the last time. The ground is blurry and my breathing is shaky, as I make my way up the steps to my floor.  
  
I go straight to my room and sit on my bedroom floor against my bed, hands folded in front of me. Mr. Miyagi's breathing exercises don't work this time around despite how much I want them to, and the tears come before I can put a stop to them.

* * *

Friday, March 22nd  
  
[5:26pm]

I've barely left my bed today and I still feel like shit. Partly about Ali, partly because I cried over something that I had already thrown away myself. I still feel guilty, about her and about Johnny. I can move on with it tomorrow, but for now I just want to lay around and drown my sorrows in angry music and self-pity. As it turns out, rolling over and refusing to get out of bed does work for skipping school sometimes. Ma's home for once and had been keeping an eye on me for the past eight hours, probably concerned to why her son is still in bed even though it's well into the afternoon, and making sure I don't set anything on fire from smoking inside.

Johnny called the house a few hours ago but I didn't bother to talk to him. Hesitantly, when he finally did call to confirm our date yesterday, I had made a quick excuse as to why I couldn't see him. Maybe I could try to explain away this whole thing on Monday.  
  
I hear a soft knock on my door and figure it's probably Ma again, probably offering me food in exchange for coming out of my blanket cocoon. "What?"  
  
The door opens a crack, and instead of my mother I see Johnny's blonde head, a tentative expression on his face. I think he can sense something is wrong. I'm a little surprised he made it all the way here just to check on me.  
  
"Hi... " He comes inside, closing the door behind him. "Daniel?"  
  
I raise my gaze upwards to meet his, a 'yeah' is all I can allow myself. I don't mean to sound rude but I probably do. I'm not expecting any visitors and my room is a mess, small stacks of books and assignment papers are all over my end table and on my desk, and dirty clothes are by the door. Also on my end table, an empty pack of cigarettes reminds me of the fact that I'd smoked an entire thing today without really eating anything. I can't meet his gaze, I feel guilty for ignoring him, and that he bothered to come all this way when I couldn't even make the effort to answer the phone.  
  
His discomfort is visible. "Can I sit with you?"  
  
I nod and he comes to sit beside me on the rumpled mess of bed covers. He gently wraps an arm around me and I stiffen despite wanting it. I stay there, just sitting for a bit until he speaks up again.  
  
"Did I do something?" His voice is so quiet now, no trace of its usual playful tone.  
  
"No. I'm just not feeling the greatest I guess."  
  
"Well, when I called your mom answered and she said you weren't feeling well, so I thought I'd come by."  
  
I'm suddenly curious. "Did you come over just cause she said I was upset?"  
  
He squeezes my shoulder a bit. "Somewhat... I mean, I did want to see you. You weren't at school today, you cancelled our date last minute yesterday, and you weren't returning my calls. For a little while I thought you were angry with me or getting ready to break it off with me or something. I just wanted to see if everything was alright. I mean, if you wanted to send a message I guess I got it."  
  
I shake my head, sitting up and making more of an effort to look at him. "No, of course not, I would never do that."  I gnaw at my bottom lip; I don't know how well he's gonna take hearing about Ali. "It's just um, things finally ended with Ali and I guess I was just thinking about some stuff, but I'm okay now, and I'm really sorry I cancelled our date, I just-"

"It's okay, don't worry, I get it." The awkwardness of the situation is palpable. "I guess you wanna be alone for a while then?"  
  
I shake my head slightly. "No it's okay, you made it all the way here. You can stay for dinner."  
  
He's quiet a minute. "Uh no, I meant like, if you wanna stop seeing me, I understand."  
  
I suddenly sit upright in alarm, looking at him straight on. "No, no, I don't wanna break up... I'm okay, really. That's why I was thinkin', I just felt really bad about all this, but I don't wanna break up or nothin'."  
  
"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course I'm sure."

He's smiling now. "Well, alright then, we won't."  
  
"I really like you, Johnny, honest. I know it might not seem like it lately, but I do like you, a lot, and I wanna be with you."  
  
His grip on me tightens, "Good. I would hate to have to start kissing other boys, you're not easy to replace."  
  
That makes me feel giddy, the flattery of Johnny's words clearly getting to me. "Don't worry, I'm all yours now, that is if you're willing to forgive me for acting like a complete idiot."  
  
He squeezes my hand, "I think I can do that. You're lucky you're so cute, you know that?" I cuddle into him now, my head resting on his shoulder and I hear him hum contentedly. "It feels nice to hold you again."  
  
I get a surge of affection, and I lean up and peck him on the cheek, but before I can pull away, he gently takes my chin and I feel his mouth touch mine briefly. It's nice, it really is, and for a second the use of a passionate, physical outlet crosses my mind. My hands go to his ribs, caressing and mumbling little words in between our kisses.

"I really like you..."  
  
"I like you too, Daniel..." More kisses. 

"So, you're not mad at me?"  
  
He shrugs, "I was a little at first but, not anymore."

I work my way up his neck again, little chaste kisses as he lets me press myself close to him. "I guess we're a 'thing' now then?"

He inhales suddenly as I bite gently at the delicate skin of his neck, squirming a little now underneath me. "Yeah I guess, _ah,._.. I guess we we are."

I lay down, taking him with me, keeping a steady trail of kisses over his neck and jaw, little breathy noises in my ear. I can distinctly smell the cologne he always wears casually, it's calming and familiar and I can't stop myself from sliding my hands under his shirt and down to his jeans, desperate to feel more of him. He's so soft everywhere, every bit of him. I let my hand wander further, past the waistband of his jeans and slipping under his briefs, fingers splaying out until I can feel the soft hair there.  
  
He squeaks slightly at the contact, breaking the kiss. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm sorry... I didn't think you'd mind. I just a little carried away I guess."  
  
I can't quite pin down the look in his eyes, but it disappears almost as soon as it comes. "It's okay but, maybe we should just kiss for now. Your mom is practically right outside the door... " He tries to smile like he's joking around, but it's a half-hearted grin that looks more nervous than silly. I quickly regret trying to feel him up so fast. I didn't really expect Johnny to take things to heart so much.  
  
I take my hand away quickly, resting it beside him and mumbling out an apology, "M'Sorry."  
  
"No, don't be sorry, it's alright. I just didn't expect it."

He smiles, no trace of unease this time. I let him rearrange his position until he's comfortable, resting his head on my shoulder as I hold his hand in mine, just laying together in bed now. I breathe in a little deeper, breathing in the scent of the cologne on his chest and the distinctive smell of the conditioner I know he uses. Absentmindedly I wonder if I smell like smoke. It's been a few hours since I've had one, but the scent tends to stick.  
  
I kiss his head again. "You smell nice." I say.  
  
"Thank you. You smell like tobacco," he presses his nose to my neck, sniffing audibly, "And your apartment."  
  
I pull a face. "What does that mean?"  
  
"Like your mom's cooking and well, just _you_ I guess."  
  
"Is 'me' good?"  
  
He nuzzles into me. "I like to think so."  
  
I look at him for a second, pressed into me like this, noticing the contrast that we make, light and dark. Different hair, different eyes, even our skin. I don't realize I'm staring at him until he makes a little noise at me.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
I shrug, "Nothin', just like looking at you I guess. You're pretty, did you know that?"  
  
He snickers like he doesn't quite believe me. "I'm _pretty,_ am I?"  
  
"Would you prefer beautiful instead?"  
  
This time, it's him that's blushing instead of me and instead of a snarky laugh or a self-assured smile, he leans up and presses a kiss to my mouth.  It's longer than the last, intimate even for him and I can't help the little noise that makes it's way up my throat. It's slow, deep and without urgency. When we break apart, I place small kisses to his jaw, closing my eyes as he rubs at the spot between my shoulder blades. My hand makes its way from his shoulder to his hair, and I stroke it carefully, it's soft like the rest of him, silky and light to the touch.  
  
"Johnny?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why'd you decide to talk to me that day at the arcade?"  
  
"Cause you liked my poem. Even if I technically didn't write it, someone else did. I thought what you did was cute and... if we're being honest, I was wondering why you'd been looking at me. You didn't look scared of me anymore and at first I couldn't understand why you were still looking at me so often. Then after you practically ran away from me in the hallway, I just guessed you had something for me. You know, I'm used to girls looking at me but I've never been hit on by a guy before... it was different." I feel him grip me a little tighter, hand dipping down to caress my side affectionately.   
  
I scoff. "Gettin' a little ahead of yourself aren't you?" I reply, somewhat embarrassed he had suspected something so early on. I mean, did I even know by then? My face feels hot again.  
  
"You blushed and ran away from me like a first grader." I groan, mumbling something that's not really coherent, and he snickers at my reaction. He hugs me again, brushing my hair away from my face, which I try desperately to remain shoved in the collar of his shirt. "What? It was cute, I was flattered."  
  
I pout audibly. "You're one to talk, askin' me about my sex life."  
  
"Hey, I was curious, that's all."  
  
"Uh-huh."

My hand runs down his arm, and I play with the hem of his shirt sleeve, admiring his hands. They're slender and somewhat delicate-looking, despite the damage I know they can do. I hold his hand in mine and caress his fingers.

"What did you think when I first kissed you?"  
  
He laughs again. "Do you always ask your boyfriends this many questions?"  
  
"I've never had a boyfriend before you."  
  
He kisses the top of my head. "I'd always imagined you'd be nice to kiss, and I wasn't disappointed when you finally did it. Certainly caught me off guard though. " I feel the comforting rise and fall of his chest again, smiling to myself as I take in his words. Never in my life would I think to hear those words, from anyone. 

"Ya know, I never took you for such a softie with all that tough guy stuff you keep up at school."

"Yeah well, there's a lot you don't know about me yet."

* * *

Soundtrack: [Dean Martin - You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIAEAVKcKrs)

Saturday, 6th April

[1:48pm]

"So how big is this house?"  
  
"Bigger than the apartment-" Box after box, and I have no clue where to put anything. Telephone smushed against my ear with my shoulder, I try to talk to Johnny and unpack boxes at the same time. "-And, now I have an actual room that's not the size of a closet. I'm upstairs too."

"Got a floor to yourself then?"

"Yup."  
  
"Oh, I see. You got a bigger bed in there, too?"  
  
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, it's brand new. Can you believe Larry offered to buy me a new bed?"  
  
"How generous of him. We'll have to break it in."  
  
"We will, will we?"  
  
He laughs, and I smile at the sound. He's got a real nice laugh. "Yeah, I think so."

 

 _You're nobody til somebody loves you_  
_You're nobody til somebody cares_

 _You may be king, you may possess the world and it's gold_  
_But gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old..._

 

"I have a question for you."  
  
"Mhmm?"  
  
"How do you always know it's me calling you?"  
  
"Because you're the only boy I know that calls me to talk."  
  
"Oughta stay that way... "  
  
"Getting possessive are we?"  
  
I pause my unpacking a moment, sitting on the floor again. "I am not."  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
"Do you wanna come over tonight, see the house? I can give ya a tour."  
  
"Only if the tour ends with your room." I can hear the smile in his voice, and I blush.  
  
I sigh. "My parents are gonna be home, you know."  
  
"I'm sure you won't be too loud."  
  
"Johnny!"  
  
"What?" There's a smirk in his voice, and the temptation to take up his offer is weighing on me.  
  
"I have to unpack, you know."  
  
"I can help with that."  
  
"Are you gonna actually unpack or are you gonna lay in my bed and watch while I unpack?"  
  
He laughs again. "I promise I'll help. Then I get to see all the shit you have in your room. After that, I can lay in your bed, with you?"  
  
"You're gettin' all mushy on me, blondie."  
  
He scoffs. "Is that such a bad thing?"  
  
"Naw, I like it."

I'm smiling at the thought of him again, curled up and asleep on his bed with me. Taking naps together mid-afternoon has started to become a bit of a routine whenever I went to his house. His eyelashes are long and rest on his cheeks whenever he's got his eyes closed, and when he's asleep and I kiss his mouth, he always kisses me back. Sometimes I can wake him if I kiss him enough.

"Why don't you come over? You can stay for dinner, help me unpack and after we're done, we can see if that bed is any good... "

 

[6:28pm]

Under the table, I tap my foot against his. If I feel daring, I see how far I can get without his hand pushing it back down. It's like playing chicken. He looks over at me from his side of the table, a sly grin on his face that I know is his way of giving me a warning. We'll be alone after dinner and I know he's gonna get me back for all this, but I feel like pressing my luck. Nothing wrong with teasing him.  
  
Larry is talking about the store to Ma, something about having her work there instead of the Orient. This way, she can actually put all those night classes about computers to work.  
  
"It really would be a help, Lucy."  
  
"I know, but these people cover everything, I've even got a bit of dental covered under them."  
  
"You can be under my plan I'm pretty sure. I have my own. I bet Daniel could be too." The mention of my name shifts me out of la-la land, and I look over at him.  
  
"Sorry, what?" From across the table, I can see Johnny smile at this.  
  
"I was telling your mother how she could come work for me instead of the restaurant, and I certainly could use the help."  
  
Ma shrugs but seems to warm up to the idea anyway. "Okay, okay. I'll see what it's like, see if I'm any good and if it turns out fine, I'll give Andrea my two weeks."  
  
"You'll like it better there I promise. No more lunch rushes or being called in on your days off." He frowns, "Andrea calls you in like she has no other employees working for her."  
  
"Well I mean, she doesn't have many, she just lost two people this month."  
  
Larry looks over the table. "That isn't your problem, though."  
  
"She's just a little abrasive I guess. I mean, I'm used to it. You should see what I had to deal with in Newark, remember Tony's brother, Daniel? Remember how he used to treat the girls at his office? And I worked for him for nearly a year like that."  
  
I nod, "Yeah, I remember." I can see Johnny watching amusedly, eyes flicking between the two of them talking back and forth at each other.  
  
She addresses him now. "So Johnny, what do your parents do?"  
  
"Uh, my mom takes care of the house, but my stepfather works at Lorimar."  
  
"The television company?" She's duly impressed.  
  
He affirms, again without much inflection. I don't think I've ever met his stepdad beforebut I've met his mother. Now that i think about it, I've been to his house a few times already but I can't recall really seeing him or talking to him.  
  
Ma is chatting idly to him and he's charming as usual. He's always charming to parents. I innocently nibble at my pasta, inching my foot higher and higher without him noticing and this time he jumps a little once my foot makes contact with his lap. I kneed him a little and he noticeably squirms. Ma looks him over, and I hide my smirk through a mouthful of pasta.  
  
"Something wrong, Johnny?"  
  
 "Sorry, just uh, had a cramp in my leg. " I smile discreetly as my foot is quickly shoved off his lap, and he glares from under his bangs, and once Ma's attention is turned back to her plate, mouth words I can't quite decipher, but I assume he might be cussing at me.

 

 _The world still is the same, you never change it_  
_As sure as the stars shine above_  
_Well, you're nobody til somebody loves you_  
_So find yourself somebody to love_

* * *

Friday, 12th April  
  
[4:52pm]

We're alone, at his house and on his big, comfy bed being cute to each other. I love kissing him and we usually can just do that for a while, but today is a little different. School was torture. He's a tease, a stupid, flirtatious tease.  
  
But enough is enough. Nobody's home and he's kissing me deeply, running his hands up my ribs and down to my hips. It all feels so good, and I feel my stomach get fluttery when I feel his hand suddenly go to the front of my jeans. I gasp a little when I feel him rub me, just the slightest pressure. I squirm and I can feel him smile against my neck. I feel him slink down my body, one hand on my hip as I feel his mouth trail little kisses down my lower stomach. I sit up in sudden alarm as he starts to unbutton my jeans.  
  
"Jesus, Johnny," I know that I'm blushing furiously, I can feel my heartbeat heavy in my chest, either from nerves or arousal but I can't tell. "What are you doing?"  
  
His eyebrows knit together slightly, "Giving you a blowjob?"  
  
I sigh, smiling down at him. I knew he was experienced, but we haven't even done anything close to this yet. I figure there's gotta be a step in-between this, right?  
  
"Oh."  
  
"What's wrong?" he breathes.  
  
My mouth gapes for a second. "I uh, thought you wanted to slow it down..." I suddenly feel self-conscious and look to the side, avoiding his eyes.  
  
He shrugs. "We're alone now."  
  
"I mean, if you want... "  
  
"Do you?"  
  
I nod, the words stuck in my throat.  
  
He smiles coyly, snaking his hand up to my face and tracing my bottom lip with his thumb. My eyes flutter closed for a moment, and I think about all the girls he's probably had. A guy who looks like him could have a new one every night. I think briefly, he must have had at least some experience with guys before too. If he's willing to jump to sucking someone off right away, at least. Another kiss is pressed to my neck, "How far have you gone?" He asks.  
  
I bite my lip. "You're looking at it."  
  
He lifts his head, nose touching mine. "Really?"  
  
I huff, suddenly a little regretful. "Yeah really." I suddenly feel his hand on my chin and it startles me a little. "Hey, I'm just asking." I feel him sit back up and I look to him again, amused realization making it way across his face. "So nobody's ever done that to you before?"  
  
My whole face heats up in an instant. "No, not really... is that bad?"  
  
"No, no, not at all. Nothing wrong with that. I was just curious," He looks down a second, forming a lopsided smile. "I just wanted to... " The nervous grin looks out of place on him.  
  
I get a sudden bravado. "Why don't you show me what I've been missing?" He looks at me for a moment and I look to his mouth again, the confidence gone almost as soon as it appeared.  
  
He quickly tilts my head up and suddenly his mouth is covering mine again, filled with the same urgency as a few days ago when he'd kissed me in the courtyard. We kiss each other deeply for a few moments and my body relaxes in his arms, his hand going to rest on the back of my neck. He's a good kisser, clearly someone who has as much confidence as he does experience. My mind wanders, and my thoughts about his probable skill in bed now have their roots in reality. He suddenly pulls back again, eyes a little hazier than before. He looks ridiculously handsome and for a moment I'm unsure if getting naked in front of him is going to be exhilarating or terribly nerve-wracking.  
  
"You know what an orgasm feels like?"  
  
I huff a little indignantly. "Yeah, I'm not that innocent." He kisses me again, harder than before and I moan when I feel him squeeze my hips. I don't even notice when I start to grind into his hand when he palms my lap. I try not to tense up nervously as I feel his hand on me, jeans already undone as he goes right past my underwear. He bites on my lower lip, stroking me up and down and there's no way he hasn't done this before. Been with a boy, I mean. I know guys are supposed to know what you like more than anyone, but this feels like a little more than just instinct. Especially if he's so willing to do what he was about to do a few minutes ago.  
  
"We can start with this, no need to rush... "  
  
I take my mouth off his, face going to the crook of his neck as I squeeze my eyes shut. "Fuck, Johnny."  
  
I hear him laugh softly. "You're really sensitive."  
  
"Is that good or bad?" I nuzzle him, I'm squirming and I can feel it. My face is hot.  
  
"It's good. Don't worry, let me take care of you..." I internally groan at that, his voice is lower than before, right in my ear as he kisses along my neck and down my face. He's stroking me a little faster now, his other hand on my back and holding me to him.

 _Is it supposed to feel this good?_  
  
"Johnny..."  
  
"Am I going too fast?"  
  
I shake my head, whimpering. "No, please don't stop."  
  
"I won't." He kissing everywhere he can reach; my face, my neck, my mouth.  
  
God this feels amazing, I can feel myself getting close already. I'm worried a bit though, like with everything I'm starting to get anxious. _Am I too excited? Am I making weird noises? Should I touch him too?_  
  
_Oh, god._  
  
My thoughts stop dead in their tracks when he palms the sensitive head and I nearly come on the spot. Oh fuck, he needs to do that again. I cry out softly into the collar of his shirt.  
  
"Did you like that?"  
  
I nod frantically.  
  
"Tell me if you feel too sensitive."  
  
I suddenly tense up, arching into him as I feel his hand start to rub me a little harder... oh god, this feels really good.  
  
"Fuck." He keeps stroking me, making sure to rub in just the right way. I whimper, feeling a familiar knot in my stomach. My hands which had been gripping the sheets beside me, go to Johnny's shoulders as I bury my face in the crook of his neck again.  
  
"Its okay, just relax." He moves a little quicker when I start to move my hips. I feel myself coming and I cry out kinda loud. I'm shaking a little. "That's it... "  
  
I'm whimpering his name, shaking in his arms as I feel that tension reach its peak. I hear him groan as my hand, the one that's currently in his hair, tightens its grip. I'm breathing a little heavy, resting my forehead against his collarbone as I try to catch my breath and my head slowly clears of the haze that had taken over so quickly.  
  
He chuckles. "Did you like that?" I lift my head, meeting his eyes.  
  
"What do you think?" I ask.  
  
He smiling, humming contentedly. I feel him wipe his hand on the sheets and I blush. I look to his lap, jeans clearly strained. I feel daring, it's only fair he gets his too. I quickly straddle him, and I can see his initial surprise as my hands pin him down by his shoulders.  
  
"Your turn now," I breathe.  
  
_Just get his jeans off._  
  
_Where else do I put my hands?_  
  
_I don't want my inexperience to be a hindrance._  
  
_Just touch him._  
  
I have no clue what I'm doing, the only experience I have is with myself. The little direction I have seems to be working though. My brain is trying to focus on the task at hand, which is getting increasingly difficult the more I look at him. I'm grinding down gently, trying to stroke him in just the right way, to replicate what I felt him do to me. I hope I'm not terrible at this. My other hand goes to push his shirt up more, and I feel him stiffen a little as my thumb goes over his nipple. I think to myself. _Was that good?_ I try it again, gently rubbing, and he sighs. _Definitely good._ He arches into me, gasping a little when I pinch him gently. _A-ha, I've found something he likes._ I smile, adding a little more pressure on both his cock and his chest, and he moans softly.  
  
"Am I doing okay?" I ask.  
  
He nods. "Yeah, you can go a little faster."  
  
I comply, my other hand still on his chest, he breathes deeply and I feel his hips move under me. I'm smiling like an idiot at this but I can't help it. I keep at it, his movements are becoming more constant, and one of his hands goes to roughly dig into my hip, pinning me to him.  
  
"Just like that, you're doing good." Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. I go a little quicker, rubbing him a little harder. His mouth parts suddenly as he tilts his head to the side, soft moaning muffled by the pillow he's shoved his face into. When I move my other hand to his lap and start to stroke him with both hands, he gasps out.  
  
"Oh my god, ah, easy..."  
  
I ease up a little and I feel him tense up under me, squirming and moaning softly. He's breathing deeply and I watch his chest go up and down, blue eyes little crescents beneath his eyelashes, his face still tilted into the pillow. I lick my lips, gently taking my hands off him. I look to his lower stomach and suddenly get overwhelmingly curious. Before he even sits up, I lean down and lick him clean, trailing my tongue up his abs, and the taste catches me off guard. My breath catches in my throat as I hear him hiss out.  
  
Oh no, was that bad? Too much? I look up at his face, blue eyes slightly wide in surprise. "I'm sorry, was that not okay?" I ask meekly.  
  
He breaks out in a grin. "Not at all, that was hot." His comment makes butterflies well up in my chest again, and I can feel myself smile despite trying to suppress it. He sits up, taking me with him and I make myself comfy on his lap, leaning into his touch as his thumb rubs the space between my neck and collarbone.  
  
Nervous words bubble up in my throat before I can stop them. "Was that alright? Did it feel okay? You can tell me if it wasn't, I won't be upset or nothin'." I nervously run my tongue over the back of my teeth, embarrassed now at the sudden outburst. It's clear that I'm no expert, and even if he didn't already know I've never gone past heavy petting before, he certainly does now.  
  
But again he only smiles at me, a kind of silent reassurance. "It was good really, don't worry... it was nice." 

I get a tingly feeling as he wraps his arms around me again, hands resting on my lower back.  I have an urge to get dressed again, to cover myself up in either sheets or clothes, but I like him holding me like this and I didn't want to break the spell we're in. I rest my chin on his shoulder, laying there with him for a little bit until my brain starts to repeat the nagging question from before. It's still on my mind.  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How many girls have you been with?"  
  
There's a long pause before he finally answers. "If I tell you, do you promise to not like, freak out or anything?"  
  
That answer worries me a little. I know he probably gets around but really, how bad could it be? "Why would I freak out?"  
  
"I've had my fair share." I mean, I had guessed that.  
  
"Johnny I won't judge you–"  
  
"I've had people call me disgusting, so I just want to make that clear that it's more than people think it is. Even for me."  
  
I try to keep my reactions minimal, this isn't what I was expecting at all. "Yes, I promise. Just tell me. Johnny, you can trust me, I promise."  
  
He pauses a minute. "Twenty-six."  
  
I'm not gonna lie, that catches me off guard big time. An 'oh.' is all I can manage without sounding ridiculous.

"Is that going to be a problem?"  
  
"No." It feels unconvincing even to me.  
  
"He sighs, almost like a scoff and I genuinely hope I didn't make him angry with me. "Are you sure? I understand if it is I guess. I mean I get it, who would wanna be with someone like that."  
  
I pull my head away from his shoulder, looking at him straight on. "Johnny, that's not what I think."  
  
"Okay, I believe you." His voice is quieter now and for a moment we just sit there with me still semi-awkwardly on his lap, while I place chaste kisses along his neck. He seems a little crestfallen, disappointed even, and I don't know what to say.  
  
"What are you thinking?" I guess he could pick up on my distracted state even through the kisses.  
  
"Can I ask you something else?"  
  
"Mhmm."  
  
"Why so many? I'm just curious is all, like, were they dates or...?"  
  
He shrugs. "They wanted to."  
  
I laugh awkwardly, trying to diffuse some of the tension but I'm not sure how to go about it without him thinking I'm making fun of him. "You're pretty popular I guess." I struggle to keep the slight bitterness out of my voice, but I really can't help it. Why would you sleep with that many people? I haven't even had crushes on twenty-six different people, never mind fuck them. The awkward silence is palpable and I'm grateful he can't see my face. I'm ready to crawl under the floor, all the while his mood visibly sinks.  
  
"I don't know if I'd call it that."  
  
For a few seconds, the only sound between us is from Johnny's open window.  
  
His mood suddenly turns, looking tired like he's done this a million times over, explained all this to more people than just me. "You think I'm a whore now, or what?"  
  
I shake my head quickly. "No, no, Johnny really. I just... " _How do I explain this to him?_ "I'm just worried I won't be good at anything, or that I'll go too slow for you. I mean you tried to do... _that_ earlier but I haven't even come close to what you've already done. I just thought you would've liked to go uh, faster is all."  
  
"Is that what you thought? That I want to rush things?"  
  
"Um, a little bit."  
  
"Can I ask why?"  
  
"I just assumed I guess. You seemed like you had a lot of experience so I assumed you'd want to take things fast."  
  
He nods slowly, "Oh." He sighs and I feel like I should've just kept my mouth shut. "I _don't_ want to rush things, I promise. I'm just used to people wanting that from me upfront. It's not like anyone wanted to take their time with me, half the time they'd only wanted to spend the night anyway. I mean, it's not like I wanted to skip right to that but it's like they didn't want anything else." He gets a little quieter. "I like you, Daniel, I want to keep you. The first time you tried to do something I kinda panicked, I just didn't think you were gonna go that fast and when you did I just.. I guess I figured you would want the same thing as everyone else."  
  
I get a sudden rush of squeezing anxiety through my chest as Johnny looks at me with what is possibly the saddest expression I have seen on him. For once I don't really know what to say, except that what comes out of my mouth is either gonna make him feel better or make him cry. I sit up and I am once again face-to-face with those beautiful blue eyes.  
  
"Johnny, don't think like that. Please don't ever think you have to sleep with me to keep me, okay? Please, baby. I like you, a lot. You're mine, sex doesn't matter right now. I'm not gonna go away, alright? I'm gonna stay right here." I kiss his nose and I hear him make a little sound in his throat.  
  
"Okay... "  
  
Sinking down onto his bed, he lays his head on my chest while I hold him to me this time feeling his breathing even out, nervousness gone. We stay like that for the next hour, intertwined in each other while I run a hand through his soft hair, kissing him until I can feel the sadness fading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I always write Johnny so sweet. Is it too much, or just right?


	8. Three's Not Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family tension arises with Daniel and Lucille. 
> 
> In the meantime, Freddy & Co. run into some trouble.

[Thursday, 10th April: 6:56 am]

 

"Daniel!"  
  
I squint open my eyes, the mistake of staying up late becoming quite apparent when I'm met with stinging heaviness and a dull but otherwise noticeable, headache.  
  
"Dan-iel!"  
  
I groan, "I'm coming Ma, just gimme a sec!"  
  
It takes my brain a second to register the ceiling. It's weird sleeping in an unfamiliar house sometimes, I'll wake up and wonder where I am only to remember two seconds later that it's technically my own bedroom now. I've realized that I'm sleeping a little better than I did before. The neighbourhood is quieter than the apartment complex and my bed is soft and slightly squishy, like a real bed should be. I have more trouble getting up now than before; all the plush softness is too good to wanna leave so soon. Looking over to the bedside clock I realize it's 7am, not 5am like it looks outside. It's still dark out and I figure it must be overcast, raining or something. Usually the sun is shining in here bright enough to wake me up even without the constant wake-up calls.  
  
I'm still groggy when I step into the kitchen. "Hi."  
  
I glance between the two of them, Ma at the table reading a magazine and Larry at the stove cooking eggs. Ma gestures to him, "Larry has so kindly offered to make us breakfast this morning. Sit down with us, I've set a place for you already."  
  
I hesitate. I was looking forward to an early morning coffee with Johnny. "Uh, I kinda already have plans..."  
  
"Daniel, it wouldn't kill you to have breakfast with us once in a while."  
  
"Lucille it's alight, he doesn't have to stay here. Daniel it's alright, go where you want."  
  
"No, no. Daniel, _sit._ You've been sneaking off before we even get to see you most mornings. I'm sure Ali can wait. Doesn't her mother ever cook her a nice breakfast? Maybe she's wondering why her daughter is suddenly going off every morning." I bite back a scowl, awkwardly shifting my weight between each foot. Right, she didn't know about that yet... that ought to be a great conversation. She's so goddamn nosy I'm genuinely surprised she hasn't caught on yet. For fucks sake we've done stuff with her around the house and Ali hasn't been around for nearly a month, she still hasn't clued in yet?  
  
_Maybe she's trying to get a confession out of you._  
  
"Daniel, _sit down._ " I realize I'm still standing around.  
  
"I'm sittin', alright?" My tone is slightly abrasive and I'm met with a familiar look as I take a seat opposite her.  
  
"Daniel, don't start." I don't know where this sudden need to boss me around is coming from but I don't like it.  
  
Larry puts the breakfast on my plate, followed by a plate of toast, some bacon and various jams. He's covered all the bases of a bed and breakfast. I look to the plate; it's eggs, but not how Ma makes them. It's an omelette of some kind.  
  
Larry notices my staring. "It's a Texas omelette. My father used to make these all the time when I was a kid, they're a favorite of mine. Do you want some juice? I've got apple and orange."  
  
He places two bottles down in front of me and I pour myself a glass of apple juice. I've noticed something about Larry. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's like a sort of confidence I guess. Suave might be a better word. Everything he does and says comes with some kind of self-assured charm. It's almost bizarre, but at this point I might be overthinking it a little.  
  
"Thanks. " I say, quickly taking a few forkfuls of egg, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the taste. As I eat, I start to zone out a little out of pure tiredness until Larry attempts to speak to me again.  
  
"You thinkin' about somethin'?" He asks, amused.  
  
"Uh, no it's nothing... I'm just tired I guess." I'm tempted to say the eggs he makes are much better than what I'm used to, but I'm not about to make a quip about my mother's cooking with the mood she's in. "This is really good, I've never had eggs this way before."  
  
"Well thanks, I'm glad you like it."  
  
He and Ma sit and talk for a while and I quickly finish what's left of my breakfast, intending to at least salvage a little of my before-school alone time with Johnny.  
  
Ma's attention is quickly on me again. "Where are you off to?"  
  
"School, mom. I have school."  
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
I'm lost. "Hm?"  
  
She frowns. "Daniel, I thought I raised my son better than this."  
  
I pull a face. "What am I doin'? I don't get it."  
  
"Lucille, it's fine. No need to give 'im a hard time."  
  
"He's being impolite!"  
  
_Jesus Christ this is so bizarre. What am I doing?_  
  
"Say thank you for breakfast." _Holy shit, seriously?_  
  
For a second I'm at a loss for words. "...Thank you for breakfast, Larry. It was really good." I meant it and everything but I also assumed he already knew that.  
  
Larry looks somewhat amused. "You're very welcome Daniel. Have a good day at school." Ma says nothing, now much more interested in her book.

The phone rings, but I'm already out of the kitchen.

"Can you get that please, Larry..."  
  
_I just hope that I can still see him... Especially now._  
  
"Wait a sec!" I freeze halfway out the door. "Daniel, there's someone on the phone for you!"  
  
_Who's calling this early?_

...

  
"Hello?"  
  
"Daniel, it's Freddy."  
  
"Oh, hey man. You're up early."  
  
"Yeah well, I thought I'd try and catch ya before you go runnin' off with Lawrence again."  
  
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatcha callin' for?"  
  
His voice gets a little lower. "You doin' anything tomorrow night?"  
  
"Uh, I don't think so, why?"  
  
"We're hitting up this house off Ventura, it's a sure thing. The people are on vacation all week. You in?"  
  
"Uh, " I glance towards the table. I can tell whenever Ma is trying to discreetly listen to my conversations and I don't need her getting all suspicious about this. "Yeah, I'm free. When are we meetin' up?"  
  
"I'll swing by your place around 8 o'clock, alright?"  
  
"Sounds good. I gotta go, see ya then."  
  
"See ya man." When I hang up, Ma is looking at me expectantly.  
  
"Who was that?"  
  
"Freddy. We're gonna go see a movie and hang out by the Galleria tomorrow, that alright?"  
  
"Uh-huh." She goes back to reading and it's clear that she's still pissed off at me for whatever reason.  
  
_Well Ma I'd love to stand here and soak up this passive aggressive bullshit but I've gotta go to school._ "See ya later Ma. Bye, Larry... thanks again for breakfast."  
  
He smiles, Ma does not. "Have a good day at school Daniel."  
  
_Yeah, I'm sure I will._ I try my hardest not to slam the door out of pure frustration on my way out.

\--

"It was so stupid, I mean where the hell's this coming from?" Johnny chuckles at my agitation. "I'm not trying to be funny or nothin' here."  
  
"I know you're not, but your mom's always been on your case about stuff anyway. Maybe she just wants to make a good impression or something."  
  
"For _who?"_  
  
"Uh-" He smiles, "For her boyfriend. Maybe she wants to make him think that you guys always have breakfast together like a good, wholesome family." He snickers and I roll my eyes. "But instead, you're _here_ every morning, with _me._ "  
  
"It's not every morning."  
  
"It's getting there–"  
  
"You know what, never mind. Let's just sit here and you can gimme your coffee."  
  
I go to reach for his cup but he beats me to it. "You've had your coffee, why would I give you mine?"  
  
"Cause I'm sleepy, and clearly one is not enough." I lean against his chest, shielding myself from the morning breeze. It was a bit cold today with the breeze creating an unusual chill in the air. He pets my head, pushing my bangs off of my forehead but otherwise doesn't let me grasp at the cup in his hands.  
  
He's fighting a smile, trying to look serious. "No, bad."  
  
I make a sound in my throat, pouting as he takes another sip.  
  
"Come on, I'm sure she was just in some kind of mood, things will probably be back to normal when you come home from school. Maybe she's just stressed over getting a new job or something."  
  
I shrug. "Maybe."  
  
His hand goes to stroke my hair, thumb grazing my temple. "Don't be upset. It'll be fine, I promise." He makes a little noise of approval as I lean up into him more. I've always liked my hair played with, although it's making me more tired right now having him run his fingers through it all soft like this. I yawn audibly. My eyes are closed now, fighting the urge to sleep. I can hear his heartbeat-  
  
I squeak as he shakes me a little. "Daniel, no sleeping, it's barely 8:30."  
  
Groaning, I try to hide my face in his sweater collar. "Drive me home. I'm skipping today."  
  
He laughs lightly, "Oh no you're not. Besides, I thought you didn't want to be home?"  
  
"You're right, drive me to _your home_. I can sleep in your bed and when you come home I'll be there already." I try to emphasize the benefits of this by pressing little kisses to his neck, and I can feel him shift around a bit.  
  
"Sure, I'll just tell my mom that I've got a guest playing hooky that wants to sleep in my bed."  
  
I've closed my eyes again, his heartbeat is lulling and I can feel the slight vibrations in his chest as he talks to me. I don't even hear the bell but before I can get too comfortable Johnny is nudging me again, kissing the top of my head.  
  
"C'mon sleepy, it's school time."  
  
I don't move at all, hoping that feigning actual sleep will get me off the hook somehow. I can feel him looking at my face but I keep my eyes closed.  
  
"Detach yourself you little leech. We can't fit two to a desk and the only class we have together is English, so one of us is going to get in trouble for skipping if you're glued to me all day."  
  
"Fine, be that way." After a moment's hesitation I stand up, but not before hugging him again. "A leech am I?" I grin suddenly, idea forming. With my mouth still level to his neck, I take the opportunity to suck on a spot for a few seconds before he tries to detach me from him. He squeaks at the sensation and as I pull away, and there's a decent size red splotch where my mouth had been.  
  
"Ow, Daniel..." He rubs his finger over the minor bruise, looking at me with amusement bordering on annoyance. "It's getting harder to explain these things, my shirt isn't gonna cover this either you know."

* * *

Soundtrack: Sleepwalk - Santo and Johnny                                                                   

[7:52 pm]

      
When I walk in nobody's home yet and I decide to take advantage of the quiet and have a bite to eat. Rummaging through the fridge I pull out enough ingredients for a decent sandwich and sit down at the table. I put my books down on the coffee table and get my homework out of my bag, realizing I nearly forgot about the flower I had placed in there. Luckily for me, it survived the journey back from school without being squished. It also reminded me I needed to call someone.  
  
Sandwich in one hand and dialing the phone in the other, it rings four times before someone finally picks up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Oh uh, hi Mrs. Lawrence, is Johnny home?"  
  
"Is this Daniel?"  
  
I smile a bit at that. I call so much she probably can tell it's me right away. "Yeah."  
  
"Gimme one sec, I think he's in his room... how are you?"  
  
"I'm good, thanks. How are you?"  
  
"I'm pretty good. I was just making dinner actually... Johnny, come get the phone!" I hear her faintly on the other end calling out to him, and after a few seconds I hear his voice clearly on the line.  
  
"I've got it... hang up!"  
  
"Nice talking to you, Daniel." There's a click on the other end and we're alone.  
  
"Hey, you."

God love the sound of his voice; a little raspy, a bit softer than usual whenever he spoke to me. "Hey. Whatcha up to?"  
  
He sighs. "Finishing my essay... I'm surprised you're not asleep yet."

"Eh, I made a snack instead. Besides, I can't sleep now cause then I'll be up all night."

"How was your day at school? Anything exciting happen?" There's a teasing expression in his voice, as if it was any secret who'd taped the little surprise to my locker this afternoon.  
  
"Yeah, you happen to have anything to do with that?"  
  
He scoffs. "I sure hope so, unless you have some other person trying to win you over. Which in that case I think I'll have to make it clearer that you're already taken."  
  
"Oh, would you now?"  
  
"Yeah, I can't have anyone stealing you away." His voice takes on a more intimate tone, and my smile widens.  
  
"That's not gonna happen." There's a moment of comfortable silence until I speak up again. "Thank you for the note, by the way. You didn't have to do that you know."  
  
"I know, I wanted to. You were having a bad day and I wanted to make it better." My face suddenly gets warm as I get a tugging feeling in my chest, and I have to bite my tongue at the words that first come to mind.  
  
"Are you doing anything on Saturday?" I ask.  
  
"I've gotta help my mom run errands in the morning, but I'll be done around 2. Why?" I can tell he's smiling.  
  
"How about I pick you up and we go out for a while, say around 7? Somewhere fun."  
  
"I'd like that." His voice gets that intimate tone again.  
  
"Alright then, it's a date."  
  
"Mmm, okay. Listen, I've gotta go finish this essay but I'll see you tomorrow at school too, if you want."  
  
"Yeah of course. I'll see you later then?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow, cutie."  
  
The feeling in my chest reignites. "Goodnight, Johnny."   
  
"Goodnight."  
  
I wait until the line clicks before hanging up. Sitting back down at the table, I look at the flower again; it's a nice deep red that reminds me of his jacket. Reaching out, I carefully handle it before bringing it up to my face, admiring it.

* * *

Outro song: [David Bowie - Golden Years ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRD0ghlFSgk)

[Friday, 11th April, 9:26 pm]  
  

"Look alive, man. We got shit to do." Chuckie shakes me by the shoulder and I groan, trying to swat his arm away.

"I'm fine, quick shakin' me."  
  
I'm surprised I wasn't more awake to be honest, maybe after a few of these things my brain decided it didn't need to be on constant alert all the time. I shake my head a little, still wholly uncomfortable with the amount of fog that was taking hold of my head. It felt like I couldn't focus right.  
  
I try to go over the steps in my head.

_1: Keep low and inconspicuous._

_2: Check the yard and surrounding areas for people._

_3: Go for any entrances that are easy to access the inside._

_4: Be fucking quiet and be prepared to get out of there fast._  
  
"Let's go, c'mon..."  
  
_And 5: Don't put anyone else on the line._

We step up to the back door, and I take in the light shining from inside. 

"The lights are on... ?" 

Freddy whispers to me. "It's so people think someone's home. It's a deterrent." 

I realize the irony in that. 

Billy wiggles a card around the lock until the knob gives way, tentatively stepping inside while the rest of us quickly slip through the open door as discreetly as possible. It's quiet for a Friday, but in this neighbourhood there usually isn't much going on from what Freddy tells me. Lots of older people, wealthy as hell.  
  
I'm peaking around the house and being extra careful not to knock into anything. It's so quiet that my defenses automatically raise as I hear Freddy drawing the blinds to the living room windows. The house doesn't look all boxy and enclosed like most I've been in, it's like rich people don't want walls between anything. It makes it look even bigger.  
  
I follow Chuckie into the living room, looking around at the brown, patterned walls and the high, arched ceilings. "This house is somethin' else."  
  
"We're in the Hills, you expect any different?"

I can hear Freddy in the kitchen. "Anyone find anything?"  
  
"Got some cash." I look to Chuckie, in the living room with an envelope in hand.  
  
"Where'd you find that?"  
  
He smiles lopsided. "Behind the baseboard. Everyone knows these people hide cash around weird places cause they think, 'who'd be smart enough to bother to look there'?" He shoves the envelope safely in his sweater pocket, "Not to mention, all that extra cash from all that under the table business, gotta keep that shit somewhere. Tax evasion and whatnot."  

Freddy snickers, "Suck-ers."

There's another sound from the kitchen, and for a second my brain goes into fight or flight mode, sure that we'd been caught. "Guys, there's someone here–"  
  
"It's just Billy, Daniel. Relax." Chuckie laughs, calling out to him. "Are you seriously eatin' their food?"  
  
"Yeah, any reason I shouldn't be?" I turn my head towards his voice, and I can see his blonde head rummaging in their refrigerator through the little half-wall that's connecting it to the den.   
  
"Get me something while you're there, huh?"

He laughs. "What d'you want?" 

"Sandwich!" 

"I ain't making you a whole sandwich... " 

The humor of the situation gets to me, and for a second I start laughing quietly. Everyone is talking in hushed voices to each other before Freddy gets still, shushing us urgently.

"Guys stop fucking around... did you hear that–"

"The hell's going on! The fuck you think you're doing!"

It's a male voice, clearly angry and coming from the other end of the hall. Everyone kinda pauses for a minute until someone shoves me into action, and we all go running for the back door. I haul myself out so fast I nearly knock into the frame.

"Shit, shit, shit! _Mother-fucker!_ Ow!"

A loud crash from behind me and I nearly jump two feet; looking back I see Chuckie fleeing the living room, broken glass on the floor.  
  
Freddy is freaking out. "Come on, get outta there!"  
  
My heart is going a million miles an hour. Chuckie is halfway out the door when he's suddenly jerked back by the guy's hold on him. Freddy quickly attempts to intervene but Chuckie throws his elbow out and within a second or two, finally manages to get loose.  
  
"Ah! Fuck, you little bastard!"

I can hear the guy cursing us out from the door, all of us taking the opportunity to sprint out of the yard and towards the expanse of forest behind the suburb, which I now remember comes out to Ventura freeway. I used to take this way when I'd bike to Ali's house sometimes.  
  
By the time we're deep enough in the forest to regain a normal pace, we're all panting out of breath.

Billy is giggling. "Holy shit guys!"

"Ugh god." Chuckie's laughing along with him. "I feel kinda bad, I hit him pretty hard back there."  
  
"That's great. we're gonna get slapped with an assault charge now, too." I say, deadpan. 

Billy's still snickering, hardly controlling fits of giggles and I don't know why he finds this so funny. My hands are shaking a little and I'm all on edge.  
  
"I couldn't help it! He was holding onto my belt, didn't know what else to do other than hit him."  
  
Freddy's clearly a little pissed. "We are so fucking lucky that guy didn't get a good look at us. What the hell happened back there?"  
  
"I knocked into a table or something... who the hell keeps shit stacked like that?" Chuckie's taking the bandana from his hair and wrapping it over his palm, red fabric made darker from the blood. "I fucking cut my hand up too, stupid glass bird. Probably got my blood on his floor."

I interject, staring at blood dripping down his forearm. "I thought these people weren't supposed to be home."

"Hey man don't blame me, that was Billy's keen observation."

"Hey! It didn't look like anyone had been home for the past few days, it's not my fault the guy decided to come home early..."

A thought suddenly pops into my head. "He can't pin this on us, can he?"  
  
Freddy shakes his head. "Absolutely not. There's no way, what does that guy possibly have on us?"  
  
"Uh–"  
  
"Nada. They need evidence to convict you, and he's got nothing on us."  
  
Chuckie is trying to look at the back of his pants as he walks. "That fuckin' guy tore the back pocket off my jeans! Damn, you know I thought I heard something rip but I thought my shirt got caught on the door or something... I can't believe it, he ripped it off clean!"  
  
"You better get rid of them then, god forbid you ever walk around town in those things and that guy recognizes you." 

"You're so fucking _lucky,_ man." I say, a little exasperated. My nerves are shot and I go to reach for a cigarette, but they're not in my pocket. I forget that I smoked my last pack yesterday. "Freddy you got a weed?"  
  
"Yeah, here." He hands me his pack, and as we reach the highway we walk along the side on the road and I'm careful to put enough space between me and the multitude of speeding cars that are getting way too close to us. 

Billy's looking at me again.

"What?"

"You alright there, twitchy?"

I frown. "I guess I don't find the prospect of gettin' hauled into a police station as amusing as you do."

"Lighten up, we're outta there okay? Like Freddy said, he barely saw us. There's _no way_ he'd ever recognize us. There's gotta be tons of kids in the Valley. What are the chances he actually remembers us? The worst that'll happen is that he'll file a report, and it'll end up going into the same box as a hundred other ones."

My concern falls on deaf ears. Surprisingly, these words of wisdom do nothing to alleviate the anxiety of getting caught breaking into someones' house.

I nod anyway. "Uh-huh."

There's a noticeable chill tonight and Billy rubs his arms, sans coat. "Freddy man, where'd you leave the car?"  
  
He gestures down the road. "In that parking lot off Magnolia, we're probably about 20 minutes from there."  
  
Cars speed by us and I hand Freddy his pack. It takes a few minutes before I stop shaking like I'm gonna freeze to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, Freddy and Co. had hit the very last house off McCormick in the north (?) Encino area, (there's some kind of court and then treeline that leads to Ventura freeway). I spend too much time planning this on google maps.
> 
> Fun fact: Israel Juarbe played in a 1982 TV movie called "Dreams Don't Die", where he played a young drug dealer. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX8sgAwtIpE


	9. Taking You Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and Johnny have their first "real date". So much fluff. Tooth-rotting, adorable fluff and smut. This chapter (like a few will be in this story) is in third person simply because it deals with a bit of Johnny's home life outside of Daniel. 
> 
> I've tried to time the song as best I could, so that the ringing of the doorbell is in time with the last note of the song, lol. Hopefully it works cause for some reason it's amusing to me to think about it this way. The "Hi." Should be where the song ends.
> 
> Thank you to Jules1980 for the picture of Johnny! :3

  

Scene soundtrack - [Georges Bizet - Habanera from ''Carmen Suite No.2''](https://youtu.be/EcFJTc28soQ?t=91)

[6:28pm]

"All I'm saying Sid, is that I don't think we should invest in this if we don't know enough about it... not to mention that you didn't even consult with me before you did this. You just did it!"  
  
"I wasn't under the impression that you could tell me how I spend my money!"  
  
"Oh yes I'm sorry, I forgot. I shouldn't have any say in what goes on here, I just spend my time doing paperwork for you and cooking dinner every night, and shouldn't even expect my own husband to consult me on a very risky financial decision that could very well cost us a good chunk of money!"  
  
"You don't trust me to do something as simple as investing money into companies I've been working with for years? Really Laura, you think I run companies by not knowing what I'm doing?"  
  
"I'm not saying that, quit putting words in my mouth!"  
  
With every string of words, blue eyes dart back and forth between exchanges of petty insults between two very loud adults currently fighting barely ten feet from him. He rubs the bridge of his nose, a headache starting to form behind his eyes as he yells at them silently in his head.

"Can we not do this here?"  
  
"You know, if you're so concerned about fighting with me in front of your son maybe you should stop finding things to yell at me about-"  
  
"Oh, _bullshit!"_  
  
The sudden chime of the doorbell is like being tossed a buoy in deep, uncontrolled water. Johnny throws the pillow from his lap, hurrying to the front hall and swings open the door, revealing the smiling face of Daniel, a sharp contest to Johnny in all his growing vexation.  
  
"Hi."  
  
His face softens. Right, the date. He'd nearly forgotten the whole arrangement. Daniel is a bundle of excitement that is almost fizzled out when he overhears Johnny's feuding parents.  
  
"Is everything okay?" He tries to look inside but Johnny's arm stops his head from making it past the frame.  
  
"It's nothing, let's get the hell out of here." He quickly shuts the door and practically drags Daniel down the front steps. "Where are you taking me?"

 

\--

The entire ride there, Daniel is trying to calm Johnny's tense demeanor with lame jokes and anecdotes from school.  
  
"What do you call a cow with no legs?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ground beef!"  
  
"Ugh."  
  
The jokes don't necessarily make him laugh as much as they make him roll his eyes, but Daniel's little bouts of giggles make him smile despite his mood.  
  
Even before they reach the road and pull into the lot, Johnny knows exactly where Daniel is taking him. "Golf n' Stuff?"  
  
"Yeah, did you wanna go somewhere else?" Daniel stops the car for a moment, off to the side of incoming cars in the parking lot. "We can go somewhere more private or something if you'd like."  
  
"No, I like it here. Besides, anywhere with you is nice."  
  
Daniel tries to play off his flattery, shaking his head as he pulls into a spot. "You're gettin' real mushy on me already, and I haven't even had time to impress you yet."  
  
Johnny smiles. "Impress me?" Daniel just shrugs, unsure of what he said was too much or too weird. They're still in Daniel's car and Johnny looks around briefly at their surroundings, seeing if any of the people lingering around the parking lot are paying them any attention.  
  
"Come on, I bet I can beat you at air hockey–" He turns towards Johnny, who has quickly leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. Before Daniel can even respond he pulls back, smiling sweetly at Daniel's flustered expression.  
  
"I- uh, what was that for?"  
  
"Thanks for taking me out tonight. I needed this."  
  
In the back of his mind, Daniel wonders if Johnny has ever been on the true receiving end of a date, having someone take him out, buy him dinner. He wants to kiss him again and watch him make that cute little smile he always made when he was embarrassed, or watch him blush like he always did when he whispers compliments to him. All of this is so tempting when he's looking at him so closely, but Daniel figures they should probably get out of the car before either one of them gets too carried away in public. As they get out and walk towards the entrance, Daniel finds it very hard not to just hold his hand and never let go.  
  
"No problem..." An idea comes to him. "On second thought, what do you say we try that water slide first?"  
  
Johnny feigns surprise. "Trying to get my clothes off already? You work fast, don't you?" He's suddenly nudged in the ribs.  
  
"Come on, I've always wanted to go on that thing. It'll be fun, you'll see." Daniel notices Johnny's somewhat tentative expression. "What's wrong, afraid to get your perfect hair wet?" Johnny giggles and Daniel's smile widens. He wants so much to be able to kiss him or hold onto his arm just to get the message across to the handful of girls eying him this evening.  
  
He's mine, move along.  
  
As they climb the stairs up to the slide, Johnny occasionally lets their hands brush as they walk up the steps and it's enough to give Daniel butterflies in his chest, feeling as if their secret keeping isn't so much of a drag as it is a fun little game between the two of them. As much as he'd like to be able to kiss him and hug him for everyone to see, tonight he likes the secrecy even more.  
  
By the time they finally make it down, they're both soaked and Daniel has gotten an unpleasant amount of water up his nasal cavity, sneezing sporadically and making Johnny laugh every time he'd scrunch up his face and sneeze nearly three times in succession. Standing at the edge of the pool, Daniel admires him again in all of his no-shirt, soaking wet glory. He's even beautiful with his hair all wet like this, water dripping down his face and neck and he stands there, illuminated by the soft glow of poolside lamps.  
  
Johnny catches his stare. "What?"  
  
"Just lookin'." Daniel looks at his eyes and loves how his pupils are so defined, that they're so big that the iris is just a little blue ring around the black space. He likes how he can see himself in them whenever he's close enough.  
  
They go a few more times until Johnny starts to shiver, and Daniel is quick to tug him over to the change rooms. They get dressed and Daniel realizes that the true temptation lies in watching Johnny get undressed and avoiding offering to help him dry off. They walk side by side, exploring the park and playing games. Daniel eagerly suggests the trampolines, and Johnny later drags him over to the go-karts, insisting they race them against unsuspecting strangers.  
  
It's dark now, the night sky a pretty contrast to all the lights around them. Daniel looks to the sky up at the giant wheel, and Johnny noticeably brightens.  
  
"You wanna go on the ferris wheel?" It's Daniel's turn to be apprehensive, although Johnny looks so giddy at the prospect of going up there that he doesn't wanna say no to him. "It's really pretty, you can see the whole valley from up there."  
  
Johnny still looking at it by the time Daniel's eyes drag back down from the massive height. It's daunting even from down here. They walk up to the short line, and Daniel tries to keep the stiffness out of his gait as he walks up the steps and into the unsteady cabin, where he can feel his weight displace the cart's balance with every step until he finally sits down.  
  
He takes a deep breath in and Johnny sits on the other side of him until they're far enough from the ground to secure a sense of privacy. Sliding over to his side, the weight from one end to the other makes the little gondola sway ever so slightly, and Daniel can feel every slight tilt back and forth from Johnny getting up and sliding over to him, and in the back of his mind fears that the whole thing will somehow tip them onto the pavement below, which at his moment feels like a thousand foot drop despite being a fraction of that, and they're not even at the top yet.  
  
He's gripping the edge of the seat so hard his knuckles have gone white. The attendants are filling the carts below them and they've stopped just one-quarter ways from the top, much too high in Daniel's opinion, and lingering there for so long with the constant stop-and-go has him getting more anxious by the minute.  
  
Johnny eyes him, sitting bolt upright and so stiff that when he puts his arms around him, he doesn't cuddle up against him or even lean into him as he usually does, like he's afraid of moving even the slightest bit.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
He swallows. "Yeah, I'm okay." He tries to ease up but once they start going around and Johnny turns behind him to look at the valley hills, he immediately tries to wrench him back.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Daniel, ow! What's wrong?" He's confused, rubbing his neck where Daniel has nearly choked him with his shirt. "Look, it's pretty up here..." He trails off. Daniel's eyes are shut tightly and he's gripping his arm so tight that Johnny nearly winces. The realization comes to him and he feels like an idiot for not noticing sooner. "You're scared of heights?"  
  
Daniel nods stiffly, not daring to open his eyes until he feels Johnny hug him, arms securing him against his chest.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know... it's okay, nothing will happen. Here, look..." He pries Daniel's hand off the edge of the bench, making sure to secure his whole body in his arms. He's utterly careless as to who might be looking at this point, the important thing being to make sure his boyfriend didn't throw up from nerves or pass out from the stress of being nearly 150 feet in the air. "It's okay, really. C'mon, just open your eyes, you're safe with me, okay? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."  
  
Now, feeling supremely silly Daniel opens his eyes seeing the valley and all of its lights glittering in the darkness from very, very high up. Admittedly it looks rather nice this way, but he still cannot bring himself to look straight down. Johnny feels him relax a little, but makes sure to keep his arms around him as they go up again, talking to him quietly until he feels Daniel relax completely, even daring to shift forwards a bit more for a better look at the hills.  
  
They pause at the top for a bit and Johnny speaks softly to him. "It's even better in the daytime. When I was younger, I used to come with Bobby to see if we could scout out our houses from up here, I thought it was so neat being able to see everything like that."  
  
He hears Daniel's quiet voice, tinged with amusement. "You're right, it is pretty."  
  
He's smiling now, nervous mood having lifted some. In their little corner of semi-privacy with Johnny's arms around him, he feels deeply affectionate. The valley is gorgeous from this high up and Johnny is so beautiful from this close. He doesn't tense up when he feels the cart dip slightly from the shift in weight once he leans up towards Johnny's face, instead focusing on putting all his effort into the most intimate kiss he can muster up. He squeezes Johnny's hand in his, sliding one hand up to rest on his neck and thumb caressing the little dip of his collarbone as he presses himself even closer.  
  
When he breaks the kiss Johnny's eyes remain closed for a few seconds. They're already halfway down again, wheel slowing and coming to a halt as people are slowly let off.  
  
"Thank you for taking me on the ferris wheel. I've never been on one until now." He can still see his own face in Johnny's eyes.

"You're welcome." Johnny hangs his head for a moment before looking back up, at Daniel. "That was a really nice kiss."  
  
That little lopsided smile of his is back as the intense intimacy of the moment fades into lighthearted affection, and soon enough the two have to disentangle from one another as they reach the ground.

\--

Walking back to Daniel's car, Johnny isn't ready to say goodnight just yet. It's only 9:00, and it's a Saturday.  
  
"Hey um, do you have to be home soon?"  
  
"No, why? Is there somewhere else you wanna go?"  
  
Johnny shrugs. "Do you wanna come over for a bit? We can hang out in private."  
  
Daniel's eyebrows raise, but otherwise is not deterred in the slightest by what 'in private' might bring. "Oh yeah?" He smiles, a small trace of suggestion in his expression and Johnny is quick to clarify.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that... I just meant that we can spend more time together is all." He looks to the floor suddenly before taking Daniel's hand, "but I'm not opposed to that either, you know."

\--

"You're cheating!"  
  
"I am not! You're bad at arcade games and you're bad at this game!"  
  
Daniel shoves the blonde lightly on the shoulder, intending to try and throw him off his course.  
  
"Hey! Now who's cheating?"  
  
With one hand on his controller poorly navigating his ship, Daniel's other hand is trying and failing to mash buttons on Johnny's.  
  
"Ah! You little brat, get off– no!"  
  
Taking Daniel's wrists in one hand, Johnny quickly maneuvers him onto his back, both wrists now above his head.  
  
"Bad boy, Daniel."  
  
Johnny's words, combined with the proximity of his body and Daniel's helplessness, make him visibly blush. He's feeling daring tonight.  
  
"Do something about it then."  
  
The look in those blue eyes nearly turns him into a puddle. When he sees Johnny tug at his lower lip with his teeth, he's incredibly tempted to lean up and replace Johnny's teeth with his own, just softly bite on his lips and kiss them until they're wonderfully swollen and full.  
  
Johnny is still holding back despite Daniel's implications giving him that warm, pleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I don't think you know what you're asking for."  
  
Those words take the opposite effect though, and Daniel can't help the moan that gets caught in his throat. When Johnny leans down to kiss him, Daniel wraps his legs around his hips like he can't get close enough to him and as Johnny bites harshly down on his lip, Daniel's legs get tighter around his hips. Daniel is in his own personal heaven; kissing Johnny is so good, it's like nothing else exists right now other than him. The outside world is on pause.  
  
In between kisses, Daniel breaks the spell for a moment. "Johnny?"  
  
"Yes, baby?"  
  
He's sneaky, hooking his leg underneath his knee, using the leverage to flip him over so that he is now on top, with Johnny looking at him like he's impressed.  
  
"Are your parents gonna disturb us down here?" Daniel asks, still having the consideration to think about being potentially disrupted.  
  
The corner of Johnny's lips turn up in a slight, open-mouthed smile. "I don't think they would... should I lock the door?"  
  
Daniel presses down into his lap a little harder, and that smile of his suddenly turns serious. "You better."  
  
Swallowing, Johnny slowly gets up, moving Daniel off his lap, momentarily missing the contact. Daniel licks his lips, eyes lingering on him a bit longer as he heads out of the room and down the basement hall. Rubbing slightly at the front of his jeans, the anticipation making him the slightest bit jittery. He tries to breathe evenly.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey you..." He looks up again and oh god, Johnny's shirt is off. He took his shirt off. Daniel once again lets his eyes linger over every bit of exposed skin, while Johnny smiles knowingly. "Why don't you come closer?"  
  
Johnny obliges, kneeling in front of Daniel who takes zero time invading his mouth again while Johnny's hand goes to Daniel's lap, caressing purposefully as he desperately grinds into his palm. Daniel has never been so desperate to touch someone before and jacking off isn't satisfying him lately, he needs _him._ That little taste of submission that he got the first time he'd touched Johnny was addicting.   
  
"Johnny... "  
  
He sighs softly under his breath, kissing along Daniel's ear. "What's wrong, baby?"  
  
Mouthing along the soft skin below his jaw, Daniel groans. All he wants to do is take control of him, make him blush and gasp out just like Johnny does with him. It's his turn to pepper kisses down his jaw, speaking low in Johnny's ear and relishing in the sound he makes when he finally places his hand over the hardness in his lap. Biting on the side of his neck, Daniel feels his teeth nearly meet through the skin while Johnny whimpers his name, and Daniel’s nerve climbs it's way back up his throat as he carcasses the front of his jeans, feeling Johnny squirm.  
  
Daniel pulls away in time to look at him as he puts his forehead to his. Johnny's pupils are blown so wide, little crescents of blue under dark blonde lashes.  
  
“Lay down, Johnny.”  
  
Daniel gently tugs him down to sit on the floor, rubbing his chest and kissing down his stomach while carefully unbuttoning his jeans, the zipper sticking just a little because of the pressure there. Johnny lifts his hips to allow his jeans to be tugged down, his hand going to the nape of Daniel's neck. Daniel listens to his breathing, placing little kisses over his hips and nipping at his soft thighs, feeling the muscles of his stomach tense up as he strokes him.  
  
Daniel lowers his head, still looking up at Johnny and brushing his lips against him, little tongue coming out to lick. He's teasing him now, nosing along his lower stomach and letting his tongue run along Johnny's skin. His mouth is so warm and wet and Johnny can hear Daniel moaning softly as his head goes up and down.  
  
In an effort to take Johnny further back into his throat, Daniel gets slightly over-confident, accidentally scraping one of his teeth against him suddenly and he hears Johnny hiss out in pain.  
  
"Ah! Easy..."  
  
He quickly takes his mouth off him for a moment, feeling how hot his face has gotten. "I'm sorry Johnny, I'm so sorry..." Daniel's previous rush of confidence is swiftly withering away but Johnny isn't deterred by his mistake.  
  
"It's okay, you don't have to go so fast, just relax." Running his hands through dark hair, Daniel leans into his touch as Johnny traces the pad of his thumb over his wet, open mouth. "Just do what you can, okay? You don't have to shove it down your throat or anything."  
  
Daniel smiles shyly and tries his best to remedy it, opting to use his tongue for a bit trying to lick any potential pain away. This seems to work and he feels Johnny relax again, legs parting further as Daniel let's his tongue do most of the work. Looking up from his place at Johnny's hips, he's still having down at him, those beautiful eyes haven't left him yet. He works him slowly this time, taking his time and going up and down until he sees Johnny throw his head back again.  
  
"Oh, baby..."  
  
He's drooling slightly, this is messy and slightly more difficult than he imagined but he tries to keep meeting his movements. Daniel internally hisses out when Johnny's grip on his hair becomes even tighter.  
  
"Daniel... "   
  
He opens his eyes again, looking up at Johnny's face. His are closed, his head back against his couch as he threads his fingers in Daniel's hair and tugs, tensing up again. Trying to maneuver his tongue quicker, licking him and using his unoccupied hand to stroke what he can't reach with his mouth. Johnny's making little noises under his breath, trying to keep his voice under control as he feels Daniel's mouth around him, his tongue soft and teasing and just wonderful; what he lacks in skill is made up for in enthusiasm.  
  
Johnny is fairly loud and although Daniel loves the sounds he makes, he keeps wondering if someone upstairs is going to hear them. Daniel keeps looking up at his face, seeing him try to muffle his noises behind his hand.

He wants badly to be able to encourage him, to talk him through it and watch him blush from his words, but he can't speak with his mouth full. Instead of talking Daniel opts to vocalize his own enjoyment as much as he can, occasionally squeezing at Johnny's hips, dragging his nails down his stomach until he can clearly hear his name from Johnny's mouth.

Johnny's movements become a little quicker and Daniel tries to slack his jaw, letting him fuck his mouth for a while until he's trembling again, squirming so much that Daniel has to hold down his hips, while Johnny is desperately gripping his hair, and after a few seconds Johnny's grip goes lax again, softly rubbing the back of Daniel's neck. He's is panting softly, eyes still closed when Daniel sweetly kisses over the sensitive skin, and he wiggles in an weak attempt to avoid Daniel's tongue.  
  
"Mmnn, no more, too much..." His voice is adorable, so relaxed and vulnerable. Daniel's lips roam higher, gentle touches to his hips and stomach as Johnny smooths his hair down, fingers massaging carefully at the places that he'd held onto so tightly. Daniel kisses his way back up his body, stopping at his jaw in slight hesitation, wondering whether a kiss on the mouth is appropriate right now.  
  
"I'm sorry about uh, about that... I'll do better next time, I promise." He mumbles, feeling bad about accidentally biting him. This is what he was worried about; his inexperience wasn't a good thing. But Johnny only shakes his head and before Daniel can protest further, he wraps his arms around his shoulders, pulling him close and letting Daniel hide his face in his chest.

"Don't worry about it, you're much better than most people who've never done it before, if that helps anything." Daniel scoffs, a tad disbelieving. "It was nice, I promise." Johnny's words soften the embarrassment of it a little as Daniel continues nuzzling his face along his skin, loving the way Johnny held him so tightly, like he's never felt so loved by just a hug.  
  
With his face in the spot between Johnny's shoulder and neck, Daniel takes the opportunity to kiss him softly again, successfully distracting him from the hand trailing up towards his ribs.  
  
"Ah! No...!" Johnny giggles, twitching and trying desperately to squirm his way out of Daniel's grip but it's useless with his legs around him now, holding on so tightly that it's clear he's not going anywhere.  
  
"Ugh, you're such a little shit, ah-"  
  
Throwing his weight to the side he manages to flip them, looking on in bewilderment as his fingers fail to produce any spastic twitching from Daniel in retaliation, and  Johnny sits upright in his lap, confused.  
  
"The hell is this?" He's smiling, trying various other spots on his body, thighs, feet, his stomach, all before he realizes. "You're not even ticklish!"  
  
Daniel is laughing hysterically at the sheer indignation on Johnny's face as if he feels cheated by his inability to tickle him. "Are you serious? That's not fair at all."  
  
"Guess you'll have to improvise." It's suggestive, considering the fact that although Johnny may have gotten off, Daniel's jeans are a somewhat painful reminder that he has not. Even without the previous situation, wrestling with Johnny was always a bit of a turn-on for Daniel. Before they had become friends the idea of Johnny pinning him down and play fighting with him had been the subject of many late-night fantasies. Daniel squirms below him. "I'm sure you can guess a few weaknesses of mine."  
  
Glancing to Daniel's lap Johnny bites his lip, laying down until his head is level with his waist and Daniel blushes as Johnny's teeth unbutton his jeans and dragging them down, now with his underwear being the only barrier between him and Johnny's mouth. In the heat of the moment Daniel suddenly gets self-conscious, attempting to bring Johnny's head back up. However, Johnny persists despite Daniel's half-hearted protests, sliding back up so that their faces are inches apart.

Daniel's eyes slide closed again as Johnny's nose rubs against his own. "Let me. I can't let you leave like this, please." His tongue lolls out of his mouth to at lick Daniel's parted lips and with subtle but notable pressure, he slinks back down his body further and further until he drags his underwear down just like his jeans, wasting no time in returning the favor.

\--

The entire ride home Daniel can't stop grinning like an idiot. He's beyond tired, ready to sleep and feeling all kinds of wonderful. The date had gone well, even without the few hours spent at Johnny's afterwards. Walking into the the front foyer, Daniel sees the kitchen light casting a soft glow into the hall indicating that someone must be awake despite the late hour. He's careful to be quiet, half because it's late and half because he didn't want to potentially get in trouble for being out until 1am again.  
  
Padding quietly to the staircase, Larry's hushed voice stops him dead in his tracks while he's able to catch fragments of hushed, one-sided conversation.

"Yeah, and I get it-"

"No, it's not..."  
  
"You can't go runnin' to the cops, they're gonna wonder where you got it in the first place... No for fuck's sake, that's not how these people work here, listen to me..."

He must be on the phone. There's a little spark of recognition like this brain is trying to tell him that something is relevant here, something he _should be_ aware of, but it's a fleeting thought and the nagging tiredness prevents him from bothering to analyze it any further. He heads upstairs and quietly shuts his door, all the while under his feet Larry continues speaking quietly into the phone, oblivious to Daniel's late return.  
  
"Hey, you caught 'em, and it's a small deficit from what it could've been, you know that right?"  
  
The voice on the other end is irritated, to put it mildly. "And what happens if these little pricks decide to try their luck twice? I have places to be, I can't afford to have someone watch the house all the damn time. God knows they'd probably be sneaking shit under my nose, too."  
  
"Kids aren't that stupid, Jack. Listen, I know it's a piss off but I can't talk about this right now, Lucy's still awake. I'll be in touch tomorrow. Just don't bother with that report, we'll figure this out ourselves. Just trust me..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was this?


	10. The One Where Johnny Graduates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations, graduates. Now what do you want to do with you future?
> 
> Daniel had doubts, many, many doubts.

Monday, June 10th.

[12:38pm]

 

"…and as you leave here today, I exhort you to open yourselves to new experiences so that you can grow as individuals into strong self sufficient adults. God Bless you all..."

Johnny looks real cute in his robes, I can barely stop looking at him. Laura and I are in the front, watching the students go up to the stage one by one and shake hands with the Dean. Laura looks so happy, like she can't stop smiling at him too, trying to take sneaky pictures while he sits in the second row, in front of Tommy and beside Jimmy, watching students walk across rows of chairs and holding his little scroll of paper in one hand. The sun beats down on the people that aren't shrouded in the tree shade overhead, and my hair is hot to the touch from the hour and a half spent under its glare. I shift a little in my seat, watching the last student go up and collect their diploma.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the West Valley High School class of 1985!"

Johnny nearly gets lost in the sea of celebrating students and camera flashes and as everyone stands and throws their hats. I can only catch the smile he gives me, Laura beside me snapping pictures as Tommy comes up behind him and fluffs up that carefully styled hair and in an instant, everyone is all over each other.

I hang back a little while Johnny gets his congratulations from family members and the rest of his friends, all crowding around him and taking pictures. Laura keeps crowding the boys together to get pictures with their girlfriends; she even gave Barbara and Susan gifts in little neatly wrapped boxes. Up behind Susan comes Ali, blonde hair messy from her hat and holding a bouquet of pink roses that nearly swallows her whenever she pulls them close to her chest. Her blonde hair is getting in her face from the outdoor breeze, and as she turns to brush it away, her eyes go to me. I have to fight the initial reaction to look away. This time when I meet her eyes, she doesn't immediately look away.

Instead I wave and she catches it with a polite smile. I don't really expect much else from her, but she hands the bouquet off to her mother and comes jogging up, blue high heels catching a little on the grass.

"Hey, Daniel, I didn't know you'd be here."

"Uh, yeah. I thought I'd come see the ceremony." I fidget a little. It would seem inappropriate to mention I was Johnny's second 'plus one'. "Oh, congratulations by the way... you look really nice."

"Why thank you, Daniel."

I fumble for words a little bit until I remember what Freddy told me. "So um, have fun in Paris this summer."

Her brows knit together a moment. "How'd you know I was going to Paris?"

"I uh, heard it through the grapevine."

Her smile is all-knowing. "Freddy, was it?"

"Mhm..."

She laughs just a little and the tension from before slowly melts away. It feels pleasantly familiar talking to her, I've kinda missed it, but I don't think being friends was an option we ever had to begin with. We exchange small talk for a while and that familiarity gives way to amicable comfort.

"Are you still doing that book club with Miss Evans?"

I feel my cheeks get a little flushed. I guess we'd both been doing our homework on each other.

"Uh, it's not really a book club, She just gives me books to read and then we discuss the themes and ideas and stuff... it's just kinda me and her so far."

"You should get more people to join, it's a good idea."

She tucks a curl behind her ear, turning to look behind her when her mother's voice becomes apparent to us both, seeing her gesture for Ali to come back. I can only guess to spend more time talking and taking pictures with anyone who isn't me. The fact that she's now graduated with honours likely brings a whole new world of separation from her and I.

"I guess I should go, but it was nice to see you again."

"You too. Um, good luck with everything, with school and stuff. Congratulations again."

She smiles politely, but genuinely. "Thanks. Tell Lucille I said hi, okay? It was good to see you again, Daniel."

"I will... nice to see you too."

She walks off and I'm left alone again, a new feeling settling in my gut. I look towards Johnny's group of friends.

Laura is still occupied with Johnny, so I take the time to slip away and buy a tiny something for him at one of the booths selling bouquets and high-school souvenirs. I browse around for a little while, almost picking a standard bouquet of yellow roses (yellow for friendship, his hair, and the sun, I guess) until I settle on a teddy bear with a ribbon around its little fuzzy neck. The sun is warm and I suddenly want to sit down and just relax in quiet. I walk a little way to the courtyard and take a seat on one of the benches. It's quieter than the front of the school, with stray groups of students milling around with their parents, girls with bunches of flowers and boys with neat, boxed gifts.

Nervously, the little teddy bear I got Johnny passes back and forth between my hands, fingers stroking the fur and the small blue ribbon.

Not too romantic looking, I hope.

There's a sudden puff of air near my ear and I nearly fall off the bench.

"Woah-!"

A hand comes down on my shoulder, squeezing. "Easy there, I'm not about to jump you."

"Johnny!"

I can't hide my excitement as he eyes the teddy bear in my hands. "Aw, isn't he adorable."

"He's for you." I hold the bear out to him with both hands and he takes it gingerly, pondering it.

"Thank you., " He looks up from the bear. "You know you didn't have to get me anything."

I shrug. "I wanted to. Sorry it's not jewellery or somethin'."

"No, don't be silly. I love him, thank you."

I slide over so that he can sit next to me, making sure to not sit too close. "So, how does it feel to be a high school graduate?"

"Um, it feels a little weird, to be honest." He holds the bear in both hands, fingers going over the fur. "I'm not sure what my plans are, to be honest."

I'm grateful he doesn't immediately convey what his plans are. I don't really want to ask about school. I've been avoiding it lately only because I can't think of a worse conversation I'd want to have if it does turn out that he's already planning on going to some prestigious, probably far-away school in the fall, leaving me behind, more than likely.

"You look really nice," I play with the hem of his suit jacket. "You look very... "

"Pretty?" He finishes, snickering. "Am I lookin' real beautiful all dolled up?"

"Is that a dig at my Jersey vernacular?"

"Yes, and I'll continue to when you use words like vernacular."

I manage a little amused huff, pretending to take offence. "Can't I compliment my boyfriend?"

"Of course, I love compliments." The way he's looking at me is a little intimate but I suppose we're not too close for anything to look terribly suspicious or anything.

"You look grown-up, alright? You look very mature."

"Is mature good?" He discreetly takes my hand, not that anyone is close enough to notice anyway.

Mature. Sophisticated. Too good for you, LaRusso. I bite my lip, swallowing the thought. "Yeah, of course it's good."

"Well, then thank you."

My hand is gently squeezed and it's very hard not to kiss him right then. But we're in public now, not his room or my house or the corner of a restaurant. It's bright sunshine today with clear, blue sky and there are people within shouting distance.

"Oh, so this is where you've wandered off to."

Johnny looks up, a little too quickly maybe. "Mom, hi."

"Hi." Laura is in front of us, camera in hand. "Why don't I get a picture of you two?"

I shrug, looking at Johnny. "Uh, would that be alright?"

"Sure."

She gestures for us to get closer, now that we'd moved a bit further from each other. "You need to get closer so I can get you both in the frame... hug each other or something!"

We scoot closer and Johnny puts his arm around me in a friendly, almost-intimate gesture while he tries to hide the smugness in the corners of his mouth. I can't help myself, I always get unsure around his mother mostly because I think she's smart enough to know something is 'more than friends' about the way I look at him. Maybe she does know something's different about me versus other friends that he brings around or maybe she knows every little thing cause she's actually paid attention to what her son gets up to, unlike some mothers. Maybe she even knows enough to figure out what he got up to with other boys in his bedroom.

She looks up from the lens, chuckling. "Smile, Daniel."

Quickly, I correct myself. I really ought to be more aware of my facial expressions when thinking. She snaps a few pictures and our moment of intimacy is broken once she informs him that his friends are looking for him.

"I guess you gotta go now?" I say.

He shrugs, "Yeah, I probably should get back to them at some point."

"Can I see you after?" I really don't wanna be too eager, but exams had royally kicked my ass and I'd seen him maybe twice this month, besides now. "We could see a movie or something, get dinner?"

"Uh, actually my mom has this little surprise party for me set up at the house." He mumbles this part, mas Laura isn't too far from us. "Tommy told me but I'm supposed to just go home and pretend I don't know about it till I step in the door... I'm sorry."

I feel stupid. Of course he'd have somewhere to be, it's a special day. "S'alright, I can see you another time."

"Sorry about this, I uh, I didn't know what to say. My mom invited you but I figured you wouldn't really wanna go so I said you had to go home," He must realize how that sounds because he rushes to clarify himself. "I mean, you can come if you want to, I don't  _not_ want you there or anything-"

I interrupt him. "No, it's okay, really, I probably should do a few things I've been meaning to do."

"I'll call you later though, alright? I'll save you some cake." His smile feels a little empty like he knows he's digging his own grave either way. There's no good way around this. This just... looks bad.

"Sure."

It was better off that I didn't go anyway since I wasn't about to join a party with Johnny's friends. It's just, how could I theoretically, even if there had the slightest bit of civility between us? Like sorry, you're all kinda assholes. Except for Bobby. Bobby had apologized and even said hi to me once or twice in a friendly, non-awkward way. He's not an asshole as far as I'm concerned, but the rest can go fuck themselves.

Doesn't make no difference to me, anyway.

In the impulsive decision to not return home right away, I decide to drive over to see Mr. Miyagi since with all that's been happening lately, I've been rather out of it with not much time to see him. My mother thinks I've been working on the yard with him the whole time so it would be best to at least create a half-truth, given how bad I am at lying on the spot whenever she asks about specifics.

When I arrive he's at his table and turned away from me, but my heavy footsteps probably do a fine job of announcing my arrival.

"Come in Daniel-san, sit."

When I lean heavily against his wall, his attention is on me. “Oh Daniel-san, looking spiffy. Where you come from?” He looks at my clothes, at my nice dress shirt and nice pants, the small ring on my finger; a gift from Johnny.

The words come out bitterly. “A friend's graduation.” My sour mood hangs over me, and he takes notice.

“Hai. Why upset? You have summer school?” He laughs but I can't be bothered.

“No. But I just realized something important.”

“Important?” He parrots.

I pause. My emotions are boiling over. I got more riled up over Johnny's pseudo-rejection on the way over here. “I don't like when things change too much... when people change, or act differently or something, I don't know.” I go on and he can barely get a word out.

"Daniel-san, sometimes change is good, help you to grow as person."

"Yeah well, this change ain't good, it won't help anything."

I flop down at the table as the chopsticks rattle in their vase. “You think you know someone… I don't know why I'm getting angry even, it ain't really even their fault or nothing, it just hurts when your own boyfrie...” I stop dead, voice trailing off pathetically.

Ops. I clam up and he looks at me with piqued curiosity. Might as well finish the sentence, idiot; _your own boyfriend._

“Uh, nevermind.” I mumble, quickly getting up and stalking to the back of his kitchen and grabbing a small carton of chocolate milk from the icebox. My throat is suddenly dry. I expect him to follow me, to maybe get angry with me or something but when I get back to the room he’s still sitting, neutral faced.

I sigh. “Sorry uh… I just, I can go now, if you want-” My breath catches, speaking becoming difficult. I bite my tongue, hard.

“Daniel-san, why upset now?”

Didn’t he hear me?

“Did you... hear what I said?” I ask.

He nods. This brings no consolation.

“So,” I say. “Do you understand what I meant when I said that?” Boyfriend, almost like girlfriend except now it becomes disgusting. Boyfriend. I kiss him. Touch him.

He nods, again. “Different sweetheart.” he says, again no downwards inflection. It's a little lighthearted.

I frown. “And, you have nothing else to say to this?”

He pauses, for a moment the quietness of his house becomes evident, with no cars and only the soft wind outside. I can hear his wind chimes at the side of the house.

“Miyagi sorry things are having trouble.”

I’m floored, mouth slightly agape. “You mean, you don’t… that I’m... you know?” Does he understand?

“Why Miyagi care?” It’s a genuine question, I think.

I shrug. "I just thought you’d… because-”

“Daniel-san, think too much sometime. Come,” He throws his chopsticks in the vase and stands, motioning for me to follow him into the yard but my feet are still stuck to the floor.

“Have work for you to do, help not think so much. Maybe help solve problem.”

Ah, work, but of course.

\--

_Breathe in, breathe out. Focus. In, out. In, out._

This isn't working too well right this minute.

A million thoughts are running through my head and I nearly run a red light at an intersection. My new laundry list of problems are now as follows: 1.) Johnny is graduating and might be moving for school and we might have to break up 2.) Mr. Miyagi is going away for an entire summer because his father is sick and I feel even worse now about not spending enough time with him, and 3.) none of these things are helping my aversion to change. My lonely summer in Fresno is off my plate but another, more pressing concern is now in its place. I decide to head over to Freddy's to cool off and maybe think a while.

I knock, and I hear his mother's voice. As usual, the door isn't locked.

"Oh, hi Daniel. Freddy's just down at the store, he'll be back soon if you want to wait for him?"

"Sure, thanks."

She's all chipper. "Do you want a drink? It's so beautiful out today." She's making coffee on the stove, in one of those silver espresso makers, the whole house smells like heaven.

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Lucy told me you guys moved! I was wondering why I hadn't seen you guys around lately. Do you like it? It must be really nice there, you must be so happy to get outta these apartments. You know, I'd love to move to West Hills, seems so nice over there. Here, you've got all the rude people and all the traffic, and all the noise, my god you hear everything!"

I can't tell if she's subtly trying to tell me she hears a specific pair of neighbours at night, I know they can get a tad obnoxious and it was always awkward hearing whatever escapades they had on at 3am.

She goes on, getting a little pitchy at certain parts. She's so peppy and excited for me that it's infectious. "You have nice neighbourhood there?" She asks. "You want espresso? You've had a long day it looks like."

"Yeah, it's great. His house is pretty big." I rub my nose. "And yeah thanks, that'd be nice right now."

She pours me some in a tiny, adorable cup with no handles. "Well, tell your mom that I'd still love to see her even if we're not technically neighbours anymore, yeah?"

"I will, she'd love to see you."

Freddy enters then, kicking the door in with his foot so hard that it nearly bounces back, and Maria about jumps a foot.

"Goodness Freddy, don't do that! You're going to put a hole through the wall."

"That wouldn't do anything, I'd have to kick it or something. Besides, these walls can take some beating..." He looks at me, deviously. "Just ask Daniel." He winks, for added effect I can only guess.

"What?" She's oblivious to his innuendo, although my blushing face does me no favours with feigning innocence. I can't even hide my face behind the tiny coffee cup.

"Nothin'. Me and Daniel are gonna watch some TV in my room, kay?"

"You have lunch yet, Daniel? Are you hungry?" I can smell seafood rice on the stove.

I flash her a smile, "Sure, sounds good to me." She hands us both a full plate. It smells amazing. "Don't tell my mom, but you're edging her out for best cook I know."

She blushes with that traditional 'flattered mother' smile I've seen my own mother use sometimes. I know it gets under Freddy's skin to have people hit on his mom but since she is hands down the prettiest mother out of our group of friends, it happens a lot more than for just teasing him.

Freddy pokes me in the ribs. "Quit kissin' ass."

"Fredrick, language!"

I snicker, "Yeah, be nice to your guests."

"I'm jokin', he knows that!" He flicks his head in the direction of his bedroom, "C'mon, I got somethin' I need to talk to ya about."

We head into his room, and he reaches for the remote and switches on the TV almost immediately. "Have a seat."

"Man, you'll never guess what these last 24 hours have been like." I genuinely hope your day has been better than mine." My gaze flickers up towards the TV as I take a spot on his bed, half listening to the news station he's switched to. Why is he watching the news? It's not exactly solid entertainment. I gesture towards the screen. "Why you puttin' this on? You checking the weather or something?"

"Checking our situation."

"Everything okay?"

"Could be better," He checks the hall, to see if his mom is within listening distance. "We might have a little problem though."

"Did I do something?"

"No, don't worry, you're fine, but Chuckie might be in a bit of trouble."

My curiosity is piqued. "Why?" I remember nearly getting caught the last time, but we were far away from the house before anything happened anyway. I figured after a few days passed with nothing amiss, things were probably alright. I'd been nervous, but I figured, how could they possibly know it was us? LA is huge, this stuff happens.

"Ever since he got caught running from that house I've been a little nervous. That old guy got a pretty good look at him too. I've been keeping tabs on stuff, and there's nothin' on burglaries lately, none that we'd be involved with anyway, but still it's been naggin' at me."

I bite my lip, I had nearly forgotten about that part. We joked he was way too old to even make him out clearly anyway, but it had been on the back of my mind that week how lucky we were it wasn't a guy who was adept to jumping us right there and then.

"You don't think he could report anything right?"

"I don't know, honestly. I've been keepin' check on the news lately." He groans slightly. "I really fucking hope nothing happens, I'm not up for this kind of shit." I watch as he rubs the bridge of his nose. The sight of Freddy being really stressed, like actual angered distress, is a rare but worrying thing. Freddy is usually never stressed too much. He's level-headed, chilled out. "What a fuckin' idiot…" He goes on.

I bring my hand up to my mouth, biting at my nails out of habit. "It would have been out by now. I think we're okay. Maybe we should cool it for a while? I mean it's fun and all but I don't exactly picture spending my college years in jail. Not to mention, I think my mom would jump over the Golden Gate if she even had an idea–"

"You think I tell mine any of this? She'd be more upset than yours."

"That's what I'm saying, maybe we should cool it for a while." Or maybe forever.

He pauses for a second, seemingly mulling it over. This whole thing had been his and Chuckie's idea anyway, something to do for fun, to see if they could and get away with it, stupid kid antics that had now surpassed the line of stupid kid antics, but I could see it was worrying him like it was me. There's a pause as both of us glance to the TV again before he speaks up again.

"Yeah, maybe we ought to. Take it easy for a while."

"It'll be fine." I try to assure him. "What are the chances that guy can get an accurate description anyway?"

In the next few minutes, I finish up my food and decide to head back home, making sure to say thank you to his mom on my way out. I tell Freddy to keep me updated. I'm only a phone call away anyway, he knows that.

\--

The sun is lower in the sky by the time I step in the door. The light-coloured walls of the hallway shine with an orange-yellow glow, and I squint at the acute brightness streaming steadily through the windows. The house is quiet; I might be the only one here, maybe Ma had gone out for groceries or something, and I know Larry works till ten.

I drop my bag in the kitchen, where there's a note taped to the phone. A missed call, from Johnny.

I look to the clock, 5:52. Still early enough to call, and the party should have ended by now. I hesitate though, thinking a while; the phone and I have a stare down. Maybe I'll leave it for a day, let him worry for once.

Don't think like that.

My resolve crumbles after a whole five seconds of resistance. 'He has you under his thumb' I say to myself, and the phone clicks in that familiar way.

"Hello?"

My mood softens somewhat. I forget why I'm mad. "Hey... you called?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, my inspiration has been nada. More soon, I promise. I just wanted to get a chapter in before Daniel leaves for Okinawa.


End file.
